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FOREIGN ECONOMIC ADMINISTRATION. 

I 

Offioe of Food Programs 





ECONOMIC SURVEY OF CONTINENTAL FRANCE 

BY REGIONS 


This survey may be given only to officials of 
the U* S. Government, and its transmission or 
the revelation of its contents to an unauthor 
ized person is prohibited. 


January 19^5 







ECONOMIC SURVEY'*OF ‘CONTINENTAL FRANCE 


3Y REGIONS 

h : £ ~ ^ - 

• iJ'CeS ^ 


Sources of Information: i . . v . 

» \ • Vo 

\/ 7‘ ; o * zl m .' x v - 

1. France Zone Handbooks, Foreign Office and 

Ministry of Economic Warfare, London* W. I. 

2. The Combined Working Party on European Food 

Supplies, American Embassy, London ••• 

i f’T * ‘ ' * r ' 

3* The National Foreign Trade Council,. 

New York City, New York 



Foreign Economic -Administration 
• Bureau of Supplies . Yi .- 
- Office of Food Programs 



Prepared -by: . 

Av MUkowski;.- 


NOTE:. t *" . v; _ •- * •. 

; The information contained herein is based on 
: the data available to this office through 
the above mentioned sources of information 
(collected in 19 UU)» 

It is not complete, and not brought up to 
date in regard 'to the current'! situation- in 
France. **' 


January 19^5 









- a 


Table of Contents 


• • i ; .• 

REGIONS AND DEPARTMENTS 

. 4 


MARSEILLES 

Page No. 

1 

ROUEN ‘ i 

Page ; 

. . . 65 

LYONS 

6 

RENNES 

- ' ¥ 

PARIS 


ANGERS ' : f . . 

LAON 

25 

LIMOGES • 

82 

LILLE 

’ ' 30 .. ... ■ 

TOULOUSE 

89 

CHALONS 

• • s 8 

BORDEAUX 

97 

NANCY 

43 

POITIERS 

107 

ALSACE * 

1+6 

DIJON 

115 

ORLEANS 

56 . • 

MONTPELLIER , 

122 

CLERMONT 

61 



Subdivisions - 

page numbers : 



Agricultural 

Lille, 30 

; Alsace, 47; 
6 l; Rouen, 65 ; 

Orleans, 56 

Machinery 

Clermont , 

Angers, 71 


Toulouse , 

90; Poitiers, 

107 ; Mont- 


pellier , 

122/123. 


♦ 

Ballbearings 

Lyons, 8; 

Paris, l4; Bordeaux, 98 * 


Breweries and 
Malt 


Lyons, 12; Paris, 17; Laon, 28; 
Lille, 34/35 > Chalons, 42; Nancy, 
44/45; Alsace, 52; Orleans, 60; 
Toulouse, 95/9°; Dijon, 120. 


Cereals and Paste 


Chemicals 

• . * * • ' , 1 


Chicory and Hops 


C oal 


Marseilles, 3; Lyons, 9? Paris, l6; 
Laon, 27; Lille, 35* 

Marseilles, 1; Lyons, *7/8; Paris, ll|; 
Laon, 25; Lille , 32; Chalons, 39; 
Nancy, fij; .Alsace, 48; Orleans, 5^J 
Rouen, 65; Rennes, 70; Angers, 77; 
TOulouse, 91; Bordeaux, 98 ; Poitiers, 
108 . 

Lille, 32, 35; Chalons, 39; Nancy, 

44 ; Alsace, 46/47• 

Marseilles, 1; Lyons, 6/7; Paris, II 4 ; 
Lille, 30/31; Alsace, 46/47 *> Cler¬ 
mont, 6 l; Toulouse, ^ 0 ; Montpellier, 
123. r 


\ 

















- b“- 

' ' "■ k f _ ^ ^ 

Table of Contents .,.. continued 


Cdcoa, .Chocolate / 

~and.biscuits r 


Paris, 18; '■ "Lille , 35 r -Chalons, i|2 ; 
Nancy, 45;’ Toulouse, $ 6 ; ' Bordeaux, 
• 105 . ' 


/ * * iS 


' C old Storage 


.Lyons, 13; Paris, 19; Laon, 28; 
; Lille, 36 ; Bordeaux, 106. 


Crops . . Marseilles, 1; Lyons, 8 ; Paris, 15; 

’ ... Laon, 26 ; Lille, 32 / 55 ; Chalons, 39; 

' . Nancy, 44; Alsace, 50; Orleans,' 57; 

Clermont, 6l/62; Rouen, 66 ; Rennes, 

• 71; Angers, 77 / 78 ; Limoges, 83 / 8 I 4 .; 

• Toulouse, : 91/92/95; Bordeaux, 99/100/ 
' ' ' 101? Poitiers, 108/109; Dijon, 11 6 / 

r 117; Montpellier, 12 J 4 .. 


• Current Food • Paris, 20; Alsace j 54/55; Clermont, 

Positions; 63 ; Toulouse, 95/94; Bordeaux, 101/ 

102;- Poitiers, 110. 


Dairy Industry 

—5 — ~ ; r* 



Marseilles, 2; Lyons, 9/10; Paris, 
17/18;. Laon 2&TL::Lille 33 , 35; 
Chalons, 40> 42; Nancy, 44; Alsace, 

* 32,' 54; r Orleans, 59; Clermont, 64; 
Rouen, 67 ; Rennes, 74; Angers, 80; 
Limoges, 87 ; Toulouse, 96 ; Bordeaux, 
•105; Poitiers, 108, 110, 113, ll4; 
Dijon, ll 6 , 120, 121; Montoellier, 

1 - 23 , 125 , 126 . 


Edible Oils ! ;• Marseilles, 1, 3; Lyons, 12; Laon, 

' ' ; 28; Lille, 35; Alsace, 51; Orleans, 

* • \ 59; Angers, 06 ; Bordeaux, 106. 


Fertilizers ' ' Laon, -$5/26; Lille, 30; Alsace, 46, 

43, 49; Clermont, o2; Rouen, 66 ; 
Rennes, 7°; Angers, 77; Limoges, 

; 82; Toulouse, 91; Bordeaux, $ 8 , 100; 

■ ' • Poitiers, 108/109; Dijon, ll 6 ; 

Montpellier, 124* 


Fishing * * Marseilles/ 5; Lyons, 13; Laqri, 28; 

' ' Lille, 36 ; Rouen, 69 ; Rennes, 73/74; 

% ... .. . Angers, 8 l; Toulouse, 96 ; Bordeaux, 

; • 105; 'Poitiers, 112/115? Montpellier, 

. " ; :i ; : 126. • 


Food and Prices' 


Paris, 19/20; Alsace, 54* 


















- c - 

Table of Contents,- -continued 


Food Canning 


Food Consumption 


Fruits and Vege - 
table s 



General Engineer¬ 
ing 


Glass Works 


Marseilles, 4; Lyons,. 10/11/12; Paris, 
18; Lille, 35; Nancy, 45.1 .Alsace, 5°, 
51, 53; Orleans, 59; Clermont, 63 ; 
Ro.uen, 69 ; Rennes, 73/74/75 > Angers, 
80/8l; Limoges, 86 / 87 ; Bordeaux, 97, 

98 , 104; Poitiers, 111; Dijon, 119/ 
120; Montpellier, 126. 

Marseilles, 2; Lyons, 8 ; Paris, 19; 
Laon, 29; Lille, 32/33; Nancy, i_}JL; 
Alsace, 5°; Orleans, 80; Rouen, 67 ; 
Rennes, 72; Angers, 78 / 79 ; Limoges, 

85 ; Toulouse, 92; Bordeaux, 101/102; 
Poitiers, 110; Dijon, ll 8 ; Montpel¬ 
lier, 124 , 126 , 127 . 

Lyons, 8 ; Orleans, 59; 0lermont. 68 ; 

Rouen, 6 §* Rennes, fl..;.. Angers, 80 / 8 I; 
Limoges, 86 / 87 ; Bordeaux, 104; Poitier: 
108, 109, 111; Montpellier, 123 . 126. 

Lyons, 7; Alsace, 47/ Orleans, 56 ; 
Rouen, 65 ; Angers, 7 b; Toulouse, 90; 
Bordeaux, $Q, 

Lyons, 8 ; Nancy, 43; Alsace, 47; 
Bordeaux, 99* 


Grain Milling Marseilles, 1/2/3; Lyons, 8/9; Paris, 

-—- ^ 3 . 5 / 16 ; Lain, 26/27; Lille, 33/34; 

Chalons, 4l; Nancv, 44/45; Alsace, 

. . 50/51; Orleans, 5°; Clermont, 63 ; 

Rouen, 67 1 Rennes, 73; Angers, 79; 
Limoges, 85 / 86 ; Toulouse, 94; Bor- 


V 

deaux, 102; Poitiers, 111; Dijon, 
II 8 /II 9 ; Montpellier, 124* 

Iron Ore 

• , , 

Lille, 30; Nancy, 43; Alsace, 46/47; 
Rouen, 65 ; Angers, 7°; Montpellier, 
122 . 

Labor 

* , ' * / * 4 

Alsace, 5°; Angers, 774 Limoges, 

,82/85; Toulouse, 91 . . 

« f 

Land Tenure 

* > ; “ ; 

Paris,' 15 ; Lille, 32/33 ; Rennes, 71; 
Angers', 77; Limoges, 83; Toulouse, 
91/92;. Bordeaux, yj/100; Poitiers, 
108 ;* Di.jon, 115 , ...I. 



















- d - 

Table of Contents, continued 
j - ~ • ' ■ 



Land Utilization Laon, 2^/26; Rouen, 65 / 66 ; Rennes, 

; .-'. f:.; 71 ; A-ngers, 77/78; Limoges, 85/8I4.; 

•Toulouse, 91/92; Bordeaux, 97> 99 > 
100; Poitiers, 107; Dijon, JLI 5 /H 6 ; 

: Montpellier, 122/125. 

. ? ^. : 1 

Leather . * ; Lyons, 7; Alsace, 50; - - Angers, ::: 77; 

Limoges, 82; Toulouse, $1}■ Bordeaux, 
: , 98 ; Poitiers, 108. -~ v —- — 


Livestock Marseilles, 2: Lyons,- 8 ; Laon, '26; 

Orleans* 57/5°; Clermont, 62 / 65 ; 

Rouen,. 66 / 07 * Rennes, ^2; Angers, 78 ; 
Limoges, 8 I 4 ./ 8 5; Bordeaux, 101; Poi¬ 
tiers, 110; Dijon, 117/118. 


Locomotives 


Market Gardening 


Laon, 25; Lille, 5°; Chalons, 58 ; 
Poitiers, 107. - - —• — 



; Lyons, 8; Paris, 15; Laon, 26; Lille 
55; Alsace, 53; Rouen, 694. Rennes, 
",‘71:, 75; Angers, 77 , 80 , Si;--Limoges, 
06/87; -Toulouse, 9^/95; Poitiers, 

108; Dijon, ll 6 , 119, 120; . Montpel¬ 
lier, 125 w-'- ; - ----- 


Metallurgy 



* «- 

Mineral Oils 





Marseilles, 1; Lyons-,- -7/8; Laon, 25; 
50; ( Chalons, 58 ; Nancy, 1|3; Alsace, 
46 A 7 ; Clermont, 6l; - - Rouen,- 69 ; " 
Rennes,. 'JO; Angers, 76 ; Limoges, 82; 
Toulouse, §0; Bordeaux, 97 ; Montpel¬ 
lier, 125 -. 


L 


Marseilles, 1; Alsace, 1+7, 1+9; Rouen, 
65 .; Angers, 77; Bordeaux, 9§* 


Miscellaneous . • 7 
Food Indus- 

tries 


Lille55/36 L Alsace, 53; Clermont, 
64 ; -Limoges, 88 ; Bordeaux, 106; 
Dijon, 118/119. 


” Ostbund * 1 Laon, 26 ; Nancy, I 4 J 4 .• 

German Org. 

Paper Lyons, 7; Laon, 25; Nancy, i+5; 

Alsace, 48 ; Limoges, 82, Toulouse, 9i- 

Population Lille, 52; Alsace, I4.6 ; Orleans, 56 ; 

Limoges, S 5 ; Toulouse, 89 ; Bordeaux, 
100; Poitiers, 108; Dijon, 115; 
Montpellier, 122/125. 




















Table of Contents, continued 

-- -.. . ■, 

Rubber . * Paris, ll+; Laon, 25 * Clermont, 6l; 

Bordeaux, 99- 

Salt ' ’ • Lille, 56; Nancy, 1+5; Alsace, 1+7A8. 

.Shipbuilding Marseilles, lj Rouen, 65; Angers, 76• 

—— """ m 

Soap Works ’ Marseilles, 1, 5; Bordeaux, 98. ' 

1 1 ^ 

■ 1 - 

Sugar Industry Marseilles, 1+; Lyons, 12; Paris, l6; 

Laon, 27/28; Lille, 3U; Chalons, Lj.l/42 
Nancy, 44; Alsace, 51/ Orleans, 5^/59; 
Clermont, 61+; Rouen, 69 ; Bordeaux, 

, 103/10^; Poitiers, 109; Dijon, 117, 

* ‘ * • 120. 

Textiles ’ * Lyons, 7.; Paris, ll+; Laon, 25; Lille, 

3O/5I; Chalons, 38; Nancy, 1+3; ‘ 

Alsace, 1+6/1+7; Rouen, 65 ; Limoges, 82. 

Tinplate ' Rennes, 70; Angers,'7^1 Bordeaux, 

— ^ ; ’ 97/98. 

♦ 

Tobacco * Alsace, 50; Limoges, 81+; Toulouse, 93* 

Transportation Paris, 21/22/23/21+; Lille, 37* 

» . .. 

* . . * 1 r 

Wine Industry 1 Marseilles, 1+; Chalons, 39/UoAi; 

and Cider " * Alsace, 50/51/52; Orleans, 60; 

4 Clermont, 63; Rouen, 68; Rennes, 71+; 

Angers, 79; Limoges, 87/88; Toulouse, 
95/9^; ? Bordeaux, 99> 102, 103; Poit- 
■ • iers, 108, 113; Dijon, 119/120; 

v\* . * Montpellier, 121+/125. 

t 

Yeast # . Lyons, 12; Paris, 17; Lille, 36 ; 

; Nancy,. 1+5 • : ' 





















1 


The Marseilles Region 


Departments: Kautes-Alpes 

Basses-Alpes 
Alpe s-Maritime s 
Bo u c he s -d u-Rhone 
Gard 
Var 

Vaucluse 


The department of the Hautes-Alpes is in the province of Dauphine. 

The departments of the Basses-Alpes , Alpes-toritimes, a „ t 

du-Rhone are in the province of Provence. The department of Gard is 
in the province of Innguedoc. The department of Vaucluse is in the 

province of Venaissin. 


Industrialization: 

Not highly industrialized. 
Alpine zone and in the area 
trated into two main areas: 


Contains many tracts of barren land in the 
of the Rhone delta. Industry is concen- 


I. The Marseilles Area 

1. Bouches -du-Rhone district. 

Alumina plants 
Chemical factories 
Vegetable oil mills 
Soap works 
Flour mills 

Marine engineering shops, etc. 
(2) The Etang de Berre district 

(a) Aircraft works 

(b) Mineral oil refineries 

(c) Chemical factories 
(dj Shipbuilding activities 

The Ales Area (Gard) 

(a) Coal mines 

(b) Metallurgical works 


(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 


Agriculture: 

OXIVE OIL (75$). 








(Marseilles) 


- 2 - 

On account-of unfavorable climatic ^ 
some parts, few bread cereals and potatoes are gi 

beet. 

The number of livestock raised is small and the dairying industry 
is negligible. 

The region is far from self-sufficient in the matter 

foodstuffs (cereals, sugar, potatoes, fats), 

tensive food processing works in.and around Marseilles. 

good Processing Industries 

The Marseilles Region produces only very snail quant 

hut there are important flour milling facilities in .he Marsel 

area, which in normal times relied on the large -imports. 

African wheat. 




: -,T 


There are many small mills scattered throughout the area, to d^eal w' 
the local supplies of grain. The official 1936 statistical^ the 
number In each department as follows: Basses-Alpes, 58, Hautss Aipes, 
44; Alpes-Maritimes, 74; Bouches-du-Rhone, 95; Sard, 86, Var, 43, 
Vaucluse, 66, . •• h. ... ... 

. '‘h’ .V * 

At first these figures a PI car high, but it must emptaBl|ea ttot they^ 
are mainly very small local concerns, and tneir total of 460 mill P 
sents rather less than 4 $ of the number of mills in the whole of Franc . 


Apart from the small concerns, some of the more important flour mills 


are: . • • , ■ 

Company 

Grands Moulins 
de Paris 
Grands Moulins 
de Marseilles 
Semoulerie Sainte 
Auguste 

Moulins d’Arenc 
Lombard 

Maiseries de la 
Mediterranee 
Minoterie et Semoul¬ 
erie St, Bernard 
Semoulerie Nouvelle 
. St. Georges 
Union Commercialle 
& Industrielle 


Location of Mill 

Port Saint Louis 
du Rhone .- 


Marseilles 

Marseilles. 

Marseilles 


Annual Capacity 
in tons of Flour 

48,200 

48,200 

48,200 
31, oOC 

*■ Over 24,000 
Over 24,000 
Over 24,000 
Over 24,000 
Over 24,000 


Marseilles . 

Marselles 

(Chenun de St. Pierre) 
Marseilles (Ave. d'Arenc) 
Marseilles (Rue Loubonj 

Marseilles 
















o 


(Marseilles 


Company 


Localion 


of Mill 


Annual Capacity 
in tons of Flour 


Pierre Maurel, Moulin 
des Marroniers 
Ferrand & Renaud 


La Valentine 
Marseilles 
Bellevue St, Just, 
Marseilles 


Over 24,000 
Over 24,000 


Cereal Manufacturing 

The chief centers for the lubrication of macaroni, etc., are ivlarseilles 
and Nice, with smaller concentrations in the Toulon.area, and - . t 

Department of Vaucluse. The cereal manufacturing industry was impo 
in this region before the war. The North African wheat was used in these 
factories, so that the industry will probably be at a low ebo now tha 
the supplies have been cut off. 


Vegetable Oils 

There are important vegetable oil mills in Marseilles and ^trict, 
and subsidiary ones in the Nice area. Before the war 2o tactoT l 
emuloving 10,000 workers, treated approximately 700,000 uons 
seeds' annually. The seeds treated included: ground nuts, J^ed’in this 
kernels, and linseed. Some.75^ of French olive oil ^produced mth^ 
area. The industry is carried on in small village center*, 
transportation of olives for processing causes bruising oi the f-u • 

The bottling of olives is also important ((Nines in the Department of 
Gard). The olives used for bottling are small, but of a high Y« 


Oil and Soap Works 

T-o soap industry of Marseille s”was established in the 17th century by 
Louis XIV (Colbert) *- - The. soap, tradition of. Marseilles was pr.oerved and 
the use of local oil was superseded in modern times, by the import ox oil 
seeds from Africa. The African oil-seeds fall into two groups. 


(a) the liquid oils, including ground nut oils, 
sesame, cottonseed, etc. (also olive cijJ , 

(b) the hard oils, including copra and palm kernel oil. 

Marseilles has about 50 soap factories and about 95f* of them utilise 
hard and liquid oils. 









4 


(Marseilles) 


Two thirds of the French-seed crushing and vegetable oil refining 
has been carried on in the Marseilles area. There are some 50 mills, 
and both edible and industrial oils are produced. From the better 
quality seeds the residual cake is used as cattle feed, while from ,ne 
meal remaining frcm the,crushing of lower quality seed, fertilizers 
are produced. 


Sugar Refining 

No sugar bee f t is grown in this region, so there are- ho sugar .mills * 
There is one very important sugar refinery in Marseilles, Soc. de 
Raffineries du Sucre de St, Louis, (imported sugar). Two other re¬ 
fineries in Marseilles, the Raffinerie de la Mediterranee and the 
Raffinerie de St. Charles, were already closed before the war. 

■ ■ T " ** * . \ • . * . f 

' '*■ '• ’ V ... . 

Wine and Liqueurs, etc. •:■ • 1 


Four departments in this region are wine-producers on an industrial 
scale, (Gard, Var, Bouches-du-Rhone, Vaucluse). It-is-preceded by 
the region of Montpellier in the production of wipe in France. Though 
it is rich in natural alcohol , the production of industrial alcohol is 
limited to Marseilles.(*) There are three important'breweries in 
Marseilles and others in Toulon and Nines-. ■ “ '■ 


Canning 




The large production of fruits and vegetables in the region has given 
rise to a considerable canning and preserving industry, concentrated in 
the Departments of Vaucluse, Bouches-du-Rhone,. and Card. 


1938 Statistics 


Department 


Basses-Alpes 

Ha utes-Alpes 

Alpes-Maritimes 

Bouches-du-Rhone 

Gard 

Var 

Vaucluse 



Canning; Factories 

lam Factories 

Meat 

Vegetables 

Fruit; Var icu s• -Typne 


1 


! i ' * .’ i f . . < . , t -• ... 

■ - ■ 1 

1 

— *r 

2 

2 

' 3 •' « ’ 5 p 


Sr. 

11 

3 4 

1 

1' 

1 

• 20 (**) -- 

1 

—— 

— — 


— 

3 

16 

20 13 

26 



‘ - t . i . . • : . * V * • ■;* 

Marseilles is the center for the'product ion and' distribution 
of liqueurs, vermouths, apertifs, and spirits,. 

15 of these for olives. 











(Marseilles) 


- 5 - 

Fisheries 

Marseilles was the chief fishing center of the re^ion^oei ore the war. 

Its annual catch was Only 4,000 to is , a little over 1$ of the Frenc^ 
total. Toulons, Nice,, and Martignes contributed further 2,000 tons 
annually. Little fish was being brought into the ports due to the German 
ban on fishing (later restrictions on night fishing). Tv/o important 
fish markets'were demolished by the Germans: 

„ • • - •••• c, ••>*. ■' 

1. The old Halle Vivaux. 

2. * The'modern Pecheurs Professionnels. 

t - K ~ ' « i r 

There is no important canning or preserving of the Mediterranean, fish. 
Before the war there were‘factories at Port de Bourn and Miramas for^ 
salting and drying of cod, which was imported from Newfoundland, Saint 
Pierre, and. Miquelon, 





The Lyons Region 


Departments: Saone-et-Loire, Loire, Ardeche, Haute-Savoie, Savoie, 

Jura, Ain, Rhone, Isere, Drome 

The departments of Saone-et-Loire and Ain ape in the province of 
Bourgogne. 

The department of Jura is in the province of tranche Comte. 

The departments of Loire and Rhone are in the province of Lyonnais, 

* - 

The departments of Haute-Savoie and Savoie are in the provinoe of Savoie. 
The department of Ardeche is in the province of Languedoc. 

The departments of Drome and Isere are in the province of Dauphine. 

i ; ’ ' • • 

Industrialization: 

The Lyons region has no economic unity. It can be divided into four 
main areas of industrial activity: 

I. The St. Etienne Area. 

II. The Le Crausot Area. 

Ill, The Lyons Area. 

IV. The Grenoble Area. 

T, The St, Etienne Area, Department of Loire including 
the Givors District in Rhone. 

(1) Coal Mines (* (**) ). 

(2) Metallurgical and Engineering Works. 

(3) Chemical Works 

(4) Textile Industry (Silk & Rayon) 


(*) There are 3 main coal basins in France: 

(1) The Northern Coalfield - 28 mil. tons (60% of French total 
production}; 

(2) The Moselle Coalfield - 6 mil. tons (13% of French total 
production); Lyons Region: 

(3) The Loire Basin Coalfield - 3.23 mil. tons (7% of French 
total production) and 

(4) The Saone-et-Loire Basin Coalfield - 2.3,mil. tons (5% of 
French total production). The remaining production was de¬ 
rived from various small basins. 

The total pre-war coal production of France was about 46,000,000 

tons a year, France, however, has always been'deficient in coal 
and was obliged to rely on imports from Germany, Great Britain 
and Belgium for about 33% of ' her consumptiy requirements, which 
amounted to an average of 70,000,000 tons annually. 

(**) Industrial chemicals, ammonia, ammonium sulphate, benzine, nitric 
acid, liquid oxygen, acetylene, etc. 












- 7 - (Lyons) 

II, The Le Creusot Area (Department of Saone-et-Loire), 

(1) Coal Mines 

(2) Heavy Metallurgical Works (Schneider concern) (*) 

(3) Bronze and aluminum foundries. 

(4) Rolling Mills. • * 

(5) Misc, General Engineering (Bicycles, factory equipment) 

(6) Various other factories (household utensils, etc.) 

III. The Lyons Area (Department of Rhone, not including district 
of Givors). 

(1) Metallurgical Industry (Engineering). 

(2) Electrical Engineering Works. 

(3) Chemical Industry (**). 

(4) Textile Industry (Silk) (***). 

(5) Leather Industry (****). 

(6) Paper Mills (*****). 


(*.) Iron and ore and non-ferrous metals used in the production 

of alloys have to be imported here from other parts of Metro¬ 
politan France. 

(**) The Lyons Area is one of the most important centers of the 

chemical industry 'in France. Heavy chemicals, dyes, explosives, 
paints, varnishes, glue, gelatine, phosphorus, fertilizers, 
pharmaceutical products are the most important ones. 

(***) The Region has a fairly well developed textile industry , 

the most important branch being that dealing with silk. The 
Manufacture of rayon continuous filament and staple fibre, 
too, plays an important part, and a small cotton and wool 
industry is there. 

(****) The pre-war France had a leather industry of some im¬ 
portance, the consumption in terms of leather equivalent in 
1938 being between 60,000 and 65,000 tons. A certain proportion 
of the hides and skins were imported. 

The present consumption cannot be at the rate of more than 
40,000 tons per annum, and it should be noted that according to 
agreements made with the Germans some 70 percent of the total 
production was handed over either in the form of hides and skins 
or as finished or semi-finished products. 

^*****) France in normal times, had to import considerable quanti¬ 
ties of paper . Pulp was also imported. A few oi the mills in 
the Lyons area producing their own pulp (Papeteries du Domeynon, 
Papeteries du France, etc.). Some of the mills may be operating 
on waste paper, straw, etc. 







8 






(Lyons) 

IV. The Grenobl e Area - (the remainder of the region). 

( 1 j Electro - Metallurgical Industry. 

(2) Electro - Chemical Industry. 

(3) Constructional Engineering. 

(4) C hemical W orks . 

; -,(5) , Paper Mills . 

(6) ’ Ball-bearing factory. 

(7) Various other factories - pipes, (Yura), glass, 

. • bricks, and tiles, etc. 



Agriculture: . 

The Region as a whole has a fair agricultural importance. 

Cattle rearing and dairying are highly significant in the Alpine 
departments, and the Jura. The cattle of this region represent 
nearly 10$ of the French total (Abondance, Tarentaise and Maurienne). 
The number of pigs is high, about 10$ of the hog population in France, 

Mixed fanning is carried on in the lowlands, bordering the Rhine, 
while particularly in the departments of Rhone and Loire, market 
gardening and fruit growing predominate. 

The region’s wheat production is*insufficient for requirements. 

The region’s rye output represents 14$ of the French total rye crop, 
but does'not cover the region’s requirements. Sugar beet production 
is small and negligible. Over 12$ of France’s potato supply is pro¬ 
duced' here (noted for their quality). The region has usually an 
annual surplus of about 250,000 tons of potatoes. Production of olives 
is about 5$ of the French total; The output of fruit growing and 
market gardening is not great, but good (6$ of the total French land 
under such cultivation). Quantity production of wine reaches 8$ of 
the French output. ; 1 

Generally speaking, the - region with its high industrial population,' 
is far from self-sufficient, in the matters of essential foodstuffs, 
especially cereals, fats and sugar. * k 

Food Industries 

Flour Milling:' * ; 1 " " ; v 

* ' ■* • ' * • • • ' * * *. *• ''Jr * ? W .. 1 : • . < • - • •- 

Flourmills in this region are small and scattered. Lyons and St. 


J 








9 


(Lyons) 


Etienne, however, are milling centers of seme size. 


Firm 


Location 


Grand Minoteries Lyennaises- 
Grand Minoteries les 
Fils de Joseph Convert ) 
Aulagnon et Cie - Miiioterie 
Stephanoise 


Villeurbanne (Rhone) 
Lyons 

39 Rue des Acieries, 
St. Etienne 


Clechet - Brogny, Annecy (Haute-Sevoie) 
Gond Tony et Cie - Annecy (Haute-Savoie) 


Tons of 
Flour'annually 

28,900 


28,900 

There are also 
excellent facili¬ 
ties for storing 
grain and wheat 
in silos. 


Cereal Manufacturing: 

The chief center for the fabrication of noodles is Lyons, 
concentrations in and around Grenoble. 


Firm 

Soe. Gon. de Pates Alinentaires 
de France 

A, Cardot et H. Berquet - Ave. 
Lacassagne 

Carnet Freres et Cie - Q,uai 
de 1’Industrie 

Ets. Forrand et Renaud - Cours 
GaJibetta 


Location 

Lyons 

Lyons 

Lyons 

Ly ons 
Lyons 


Ets. Cr ; rtier-Millon 

- Grenoble 

(Isere) 


F. Reygnion - 

Vienne 

(Ioere) 


Ch. Creux 

Grenoble 

(Isere) 


Devron 

Grenoble 

(Isere) 


Dairy Products: 



with smaller 

Remarks 


Semolina, noodles 

Noodles 

* Noodles 

Noodles 

Noodles 

Semolina, noodles 
Semolina 

■i 

Noodles 

Noodles 


The Lyons Region's milk supplies were to° 

^aelfthat region ‘^nearly 3/4ths ol the total output comes iruu"the 
Aloine departments. 












10 


(Lyons) 


mu e C hief cheeses are SAVOIE and JURA, GRUY5RE, EMMENTHAL and COMTE', 
BEAUFORT and MONTCENIS BLEU (GORGONZOLA). The latter, made from goa s 
and cows* milk, is produced chiefly in Haute-Mar ienne and u - 
Tarentaise. BLEU DE GEX is exported in quantity, as are many wrappe 
cream cheeses around*Annecy and Chambery. Here, too, have arisen 
satelliteIndustries, such as the manufacture_of milk ponder condensed 
milk and chocolate. Rumilly, in the rich plain of Albanais, is a * 
portant manufacturing center. Butter is not produced m larg-, q 
ties, and is retained entirely for local consumption. 


The region*a food industries are not on a large scale. Surpluses are 
mainly consumed locally. 


Canning: 


Canning is confined primarily to luxury products, such as asparagus 
and truffles. Around Rhone,fruit and vegetables, grown locally, 
peaches, tomatoes, globe artichokes, were important to this industry 
before the war, and all materials, except sugar, were readily available 
for manufacturing purposes.- Canned meat arc not produced in large 
quantities, though at Lyons canned ham is a specialty. ^ ^ . 


Firm 


Location 


Remarks 


Rhone 


Blanchard et Cie 


Noguier-Venois 
Ets. Lyonnaise Arar 


12 Rue du Docteur, Crestin* 

Lyons 

LyohS 

Lyons 


r 


Frqit Canning 


• _ j, 

ir . 


B. Gnemmi 
Michel et Clement 


Lyons 


(fanned Hams andj 
Mfrs. of ice. 
'Canned hams, alj 
Sausages 


Chorliet et Grizaud 
Concernes Lenzbourg 


Servagnat, Michel et 
Clement 
Mottet et Cie 


7 Rue de Quatre Chapenaux 

Lyons 

Lyons 

91 Ch. de St. Priest, 
Lyons 


Fruit Preserved 
Canned Hams 


M. Brunier et Freres 


Lyons 

117 Anatole-France 

Lyons 

Lyons 


Preserves 
Fruit Canning 


Fruit Preserves 
Fruit bottled 
in brandy. 


Y-ve Fallor V 

•M. 'Fossorier 

S. A. La Regionale 

* .... 


'Lyons 

Lyons 


': 


r rJ 


-.C; 


Fouchet Fils et Neyrat 


‘14 Rue dii Plat 

Lyons 

Lyons 


. <;•; i r y i 


it t? 

ft ■ TT 


n 

TT 


TT 

TT 


Fruit Preserve^ 
Fruit bottled 


in brandy. 









11 


(Lyons) 


Firm 


Location 


Remarks 


S. Vincent 


Lyons 


Fruit bottled 
in brandy. 


Manufacture Lyonnaise 
de Confiserie 
Paul Vallon 

Produits S.A.P. 

Ets. C. Rosseau 


348 Rue Boileau 
Lyons 

10 Rue des Tuiieries 
Lyons 

14 Rue des Tuileries 
Lyons 

Lyons - St. Claer 


Les Fils d 1 Eugene Mottet Villeurbanne 


Jams 




Canned meat, 
corned beef, peas 
beans, etc. 

Jams and pre¬ 
serves . 

Fruit Canning. 


Union Maraicbere 


Sc one-e t-Loire 


St. Marcel-les-Cbalon 


Gene bard, Perrecbon 
et Cie. 


Durand Pere et Fils 
Ets. Ciemant - Fangier 


Gourdol 

Ej. Julien - 

Roullet et Fils 


Loire 

24 Rue de la Mcntat, 
St. Etienne 

Ardecbe 

Largentiere 

Privas 


Drome 

Les Petits Robins, Livrcn 

Montelemar 

Nyons 


3oc. des Produits de Nyons 

Daupbine et de Province 
Mac Eveaue Romans 


Important factor; 
-’•canning vege¬ 
tables for 
Germans. Very 
Modern. 300 
workers. 


Jans 


Fruit Canning, 
Jams. 

Canning and jam 
faegory 

"Marons glaces" 


Pickles 

Canning factory. 
Fruit Canning, 
Jams 

Canning Factory* 
Jams 

Bottled Olivers, 
c-apers, vine¬ 
gars . 













Firm 


L. Royaney 

Confiture d’Hermitage 


Clot 


*■,12 - 

.v. 

Location 
• Drome 

Romans 

Tain-1’Hermitage 
Isere 

St. Hilaire-du-Rosier 


(Lyons) 

Remarks 

Canning Factory 
Jams 


Fruit Juices 


Breweries: _ • 

Breweries are few and raw materials in any large.quantities have to be 
imported. At Lyons there are four larger breweries and.some other. 
breweries are scattered through the various departments in the region. 
Three yeast manufacturers have their firms in Lyons and one o e 
large y£i£t concerns - the Ane. Ets. Gaetau Brun is located in Grenoble 

(Department of Isere). , f _ ...... 


Oil Seeds: 

Firm 

... - . < lN .. • 

J. Cluzel 


; ' .•■•■ -T ;. . ■ -a. . 

Location Remarks_ 

Ardeche 

Ave. Marc Seguin, Annonay Colza Oil 

Isere 


Veuve A* Ravel & 

Patou Rives-sur-Eure 

.. 4 

M. Burriol . . ” 

Joseph Cholat i! ”, ” 

Maximin Ravel Aine Voiron 



• . *. •*. r • 

Bruyere 


Haute-Savoie 

Passage-sur-Gheron 
Rum illy 


r * • "1 

Nut, colza, 

olive oils, wa'. 

nut oilcake. 

Nut & Olive Oi; 

Oilcake 

Nut and Colza 

Oils 

Green Walnuts, 
nut oil. 


Nut and hazel 
oils, oilcake^ 


Sugar Factories: / * 

. 

The region was even in pre-war days deficient to the extent of 9/10ths 
of its requirements. The Department of Saone et Loire (city Chalons- 
sur-Saone) has two large sugar factories and one is located in the De¬ 
partment of Isere. 


















(Lyons) 


- 13 - 

Fishing; (Fresh Water) „ .. . ; 

Adequate supplies of fresh water fish were formerly available in the 
region, and found ready markets at Lyons and the large towns. Carp 
and trout come from the rivers of the 3eaujolais. Trodt, perch, and 
rainbow trout from the upper Saone. 


Cold Storage Plants: 

Firm 


Location 

Rhone 


Remarks 


Entrepot Frigo, Lyon Frigo 
de Brotteairx 


Rue Seguin, Lyons 
84 Rue Crillcn, Lyons 


Capacity 
1500 tons 


Soc. Laitiere Modern 
("Le Lait") 


71 Court Albert Thomas 

20 Rue Vauban 

124 Rue de Seze, Lyons 


Refrigeration 
plant for 
milk 


Cooperative et Pastori- 25 Rue Bivauger 

zation Laitiere Lyons 


Refrigeration 
plant for milk. 


Loire 

Frigo de St. Etienne 3 Rue Treflerie 

(Soc. des Glaciers de 3t. Etienne 

Paris) 

Drome 

Gare Frigo, Regional Ave, Victor Hugo 

Velence 


Capacity 
800 tons. 


Isere 




Cold Storage Depot 


Bourboin 











The Paris Region 


Departments^: 


Seine 

Seine-et-Marne 

Seine 


The department of Seine is in the province of Paris (lie de France). 

The department of Seine-et-Oise is in the province of lie durance, 
with exception of its southernmost part, which is m P 
Orleanais. 


The department of Seine-et-Marne is in 
but its northern and eastern parts are 


the province of lie de France, 
in the province of Ghanipagne. 


Industrialization: 

The region is dominated from an economic point of view by Paris and 
its Paris, as well as being the administrative and cultural 

center of French life, is a leading industrial center, though it 

should be noted, that within the limits of the *°(Tfaffect either 
the industries are mainly clean ones which would not affect eith r 

the aesthetic qualities or the tourist trade of the » e ^opolis. T 
heaw industries are located in the Parisian suburbs, there being, 
generally U speaking a greater concentration in the north and west than 

in the south and east. 

The Paris area has the following important industries: 


(1) Constructional Engineering. r ~ ... • , ’ 

(2) Mechanical Engineering (production of Diesel engines. 

of special significance). 

(3) Automobile Industry-(Citroen, Renault). 

(4) Aircraft and Aero-engine industry. 

(5) Armament production.-. • 

(6) Optical and precision instruments. ' 

(7) Ballbearings and machine bolts. 

(8) Electrical Industry. _ . . 

(9) Chemical•Industries .(St. Denis and Aubervilliers ) . 

(10) Pharmaceutical.Industry " < : " : 

(11) Rubber Industry. 

(12) Ready made clothing and dressmaking. 

(13) Jewelry. 

(14) Furniture. 

(15) Hc.ndwoven materials. • . 

(16) Ladies gloves and handbags and accessories. 





- 15 


(Paris) 


There are thermal power stations in the area adequate to supply the 
whole region with electricity, but coal for their operation has to 
be imported from a distance, in normal times either from the North 
of France and Belgium, or from Great Britain. 

There are important gas works in the region, and Paris and the suburbs 
have a good gas supply, both for industrial and domestic consumption, 
though here, again, the coal has to be imported. 

It should also be noted that, as in the case'with many large'towns, 
much of the drinking water consumed in Paris, has its source at some 
distance from the metropolis. 

Agriculture: 

The Paris Region is situated in the center of the Paris Basin, in 
the middle of a dry tableland, cleft by depressions of undulating 
ground, bounded by richly-wooded slopes. It lies on the fringe of 
an important agricultural belt, famous for its wheat lands, sugar- 
beet production and cattle farming. 

There is a Certain amount of cattle raising, while in the areas near 
the capital, market gardening is of primary importance. The-acreage 
under market-gardening, although but a small fraction of the Paris 
Region, is most important, as it represents over 5% of the national 
total (l/4 of the department of Seine is agricultural and less than 
l/8 is arable). Holdings around the capital are small, 60?o being 
under 10 hectares. In the Seine-etr-Oise and in th^ Soine-et-Marne 
departments holdings over 100 hectares constitute 40^ . nd 5Cf?o re¬ 
spectively (the'average for France is 16%). 

Crop Rotation: 

— ■ . 1 

* • 0 *. 

A 6 or 3 course of rotation of wheat, oats, lucerne, wheat, oats 
and roots. Crop'production flourishes in the 2 departments, outside 
the Seine, wheat, o*ats, sugar-beet, and potatoes, in particular, are 
grown in the limestone plateau, and market gardening thrives in the 
wooded alluvial valleys, yields are generally high. Wheat averages 
2.3 tons per hectare well above the French average of 1.6. Potatoes: 
13,9 against France's figure of 11.3* Only sugar beets fall below 
the French average. 


Food - Processing Industries 

The department of Seine is negligible as a food producer, but many 
important food-processing industries are to be found in Paris, and 
in the suburbs of Paris. Food-processing factories of some signifi¬ 
cance are also in the departments of Seine-et-Oise and Soine-et-Marne. 







„ - 16 - 


(Paris) 


\ 



Flour Milling: 


There are many flour mills in the region, the greater^number of which 
are situated in the department of Seine-et-Marne. In the Paris subures, 

however" there are three important ones. Following are some of the 
largest flour mills in the Paris Region: 


Firm 


T.n nation 


Annual 
Hara oitV(tC 


Grands Moulins de Paris 
Granda Moulins de Pantin 
Grands Moulins de Bobigny 
Grands Moulins de Corbeil 
H. & P. Chasles, Moulins 
de Verneuil 


Paris; Quai de la Gare 
Paris, Pantin (Paris) 
Bobigny (Paris) 

Corbeil (Seine & Oise) 

Verneuil 


192,500 

168,200 

24,100 

192,500 

24,100 


Cereal Manufacturing: 

Macaroni Factories (Pates Aliment a ires_)_ 


Firm 


Location 


Bertrand et. Cie 


Aubervilliers 


Ets. Bozon-Verdurey, A, S, Maisons-Alfort 

Cartier-Millon Charenton 

Sugar Production and Refining: 


Production 

All kinds of noodle 
tapioca, rice, 
semolina 

All kinds of noodL 

u ” 


The department of Seine-et-Marne and, to a lesser extent, the department 
of Seine-et-Oise, are sugar beet growing areas and there are ele v e n 
sugar factories in the former and nine in the latter. The larges o 
these are situated at Meaux, Bray-sur-Seine and Goussainville. In 
addition to these establishments, which prepare the locally grown produce 
for domestic consumption, there are in Paris two•important refineries 
normally dealing mainly with important raw sugar. These are: 


(a) Lebaudy Sommier in the Rue de Flandre. 

(b) La Raffinerie Francois in the Rue Riquet. 


Alcohol Distillers: 

The important production of sugar-beet in the region has given rise to. 
the establishment of a number of alcohol factories (distilleries) and it 
should be noticed that a number of the sugar factories have their own. 
distilleries. There are, in all, about fifty distilleries in the Seine- 
et-Marne and thirty-five in Seine-et-Oise. 


















(Faris) 


- 17 - 


Breweries: 


Paris is the center of an important growing industry of twenty iour 
breweries in the region, ten have an annual production of n° re than 
100,000 hectoliters, and these large ones with the exception o_ a 
at Melun, are in the Paris suburban belt. 


Yeast llanufacture: 

There are a number of yeast manufacturers in the region, the f * 1 2 3 4 5 ** 

portant of which is the Fabrique de Levures, Sucre et Alcools de St. 

1 T Aumone, with works at St. Q,uen l’Aumone (3eine-et-0ise). 


Dairy Product: 

The annual milk yield per cow for each department in the region is ex- 
ceptionally high as compared with the French average of 1,700 liters, in 
Seine the yield is more than double this figure (though vx.e num e 
cows is negligible), while the other two departments average 2,8v0 an^ 
2,400 liters respectively. Small quantities of butter are made mainly 

in the Brie. 

BRIE CHEESE is the chief dairy produce of the region. Three 
of the total output (in all, representing 2% of the Itench total chess 
production) is produced in the Seine-et-Marne. me output is unportan 
rather for its quality and not quantity. As a result, this produo . 
exported to Great Britain and, of course despatched to the Paris ma.k . 
Generally, these cheeses are made in factories and not as would be ex¬ 
pected, on the farm, whence the milk is collected, ^ke^ing centers f 
this purpose are Heaux, Couloramiers, Melun, Mornant and Kangis. Alt ug 
there’are no large industrial dairies in the region, a nura ® r ° ? c _ 

tant distributors, with factories in the dairying regions of Normandy or 
Brittany, have their headquarters in Pans or the suburbs. 


Seme of the principal ones are: 

( 1 ) Charles Gervais. S. A. (Cond. milk, cheese, casein) 

(2) Laiteries Hauser, (Distributors of fresh milk, butter, 

cream, eggs, cheese, powdered milk). 

( 3 ) Soc. du Lait Gloria, (Butter, cheese, condensed milky. 

( 4 ) Soc. Laitiere Maggi . (Distributors of fresh milk, butter 

cheese, powdered milk). 

(5) Soc. Netle. (Cond. milk, cheese, chocolate. 

and distribution center in Saint-Guen). 


The warehouses 











(Paris) 


-is¬ 


le) 

(?) 


Ta1 -t. nfr.n. Saint Q,uen. (Past, milk, dried milk, cream). 

Soc. Laitiere Industrielle de N ormandie. (Cond. milk, 
cheese, butter, dried milk)• 


Chocolate and Biscuits: 

In normal times there were many important factories m Pans and suburbs 
(active). The more important ones are: 


Firm 

Chocolat Menier 
Chocolat Francois Meunier 
Chocolat Suchard, S. A. 
Felix Potin 


Lo ca tion 
Paris 

Levallois - Perret 

Paris 

Paris 


Production 

Chocolate 

Chocolate 
Chocolate 
Chocolate 
& Biscuits 

Biscuits 

•' i ■ 

Biscuits 


Huntley & Palmers et Me Vi tie et , . . r 

Price La Courneuve 

Biscuits Olibet et Biscuits 

G-uillout, S. A, Arcueil 

* ’ . ‘ ’.* ;,• . • ... » •; > 7 ■/ 

Canning : : ? . •, •• - r 

The Paris Area, with its lapge urban population, is an important- 
center of the canning industry. Meat, fish, fruit an Y° g , . , area 

canned, much of the supplies coming from the nearby agricultural a 

t T .■* ; r • - t _ t • . 

Some- of the main firms concerned in the canni ng industry aror 

(1) Julien Damoy, S. A., with factories at Troy and Paris (Quai de 

•la Loire). This firm prepares canned foods of all descriptions 

and is a distributing agency. 

(2) Olida. Factories at Paris (Vaugirard), Levallois-Perret, 

(Epimey-sur-Seine) . Ham, sausages, pork, fruit & vegetable 
canning, made its, own cans at Levallois-Perret. 

(3) Petitjean Gby & Cie. Factory at Le Pre-Saint-Gervais. Canning 

of meat, fruit, vegetables and fish. 

(4) Geo. This firm owns a factory ifi, Le Kremlih-Bicetre. Specializes 

in the canning of pork, hams, sausages, etc. 

(3) Felix Potin. Peas canning, fa.ctorles. at Pantin. Chocolate, 
Confectionery, Biscuits, Important wholesale and retail 
grocery firm* .• 















(Paris) 



Cold Storage Plants: 

Finn 


Location 


Capacity 
(Tons) 


Entrepots Frigorifigues de 
1’Union 

Entrepots Frigorifigues de 
Vaugirard 

S.N.C.E. (Entrepots 

Frigorifigues de Paris 
Q,uai de La G-are 
La Glace Continentale - 
Boulogne 

Soc. Ind. d’Alimentation 
"La Nationale" 

76 Rue de Vivier 

Entr. Frig, des Halles de 
Paris 

Entr. Frig. Louis Blanc 
Entr. Frig. Paris Bercy 

P.L.K. 


Clichy . • • 14,000 

Paris, Vaugirard 2,000 


Ivry - Paris (13 eme) 


3,000 


Billancourt 

Aubervillier 


Not known 
Slaughter 
house &. cold 
storage for 
meats 


Paris (1 er), 3 Halles 
(central) 

Paris, 10 Rue Louis Blanc 
Paris (12 eme), 

2 Q,uai de Bercy 


Not known 
Not known 

Not known 


General: 


Food Surpluses and Consumption 

The region as a whole, with its overflowing industrial population, 
is deficient in every essential foodstuff. 

In pre-war days wheat was imported from the Lille and Laons regions 
(Artois and Picardy provinces), and potatoes were obtained f.om .he 
Rennes region (Brittany) and the Nancy region (Lorraine). 

Sugar was transported from neighboring areas. 

Meat & Milk supplies came to Paris, from a very \;iae raaius. 

It was estimated in 1936-38 that the region was dei lciefU. m. 


Meat 

Milk 

7/heat & Rye 

potatoes 

Sugar 

Fats 

Wine 


320,000 tons 
5,000 rt 
750,000 
1,000,0C0 
52,000 " 

52,000 " 

6,500,000 hectoliters 


(approximately) 


?» 












(Paris) 



It was reported that at the end of 1943, stocks tf.ta.a4,.potato -^and^ 

'farinaceous food in the city- ware adequate, but the fat ; __c_ _ - 

situation was bad. 

The average daily milk requirements of 440,000 liters were just covered 
during the period January-August 1943. This estimate was for ^ren 
and invalids only and s© no-allowance was made for the_provis f Uz 

for the adult population. Of these deliveries, about 13?. come from 
Seine-et-Marne and Seine-et-Oise. Among other departments supplying 
Pari‘s with milk were: : --v .. • • • : ■ 

* * * ' * ?*'*-; ■ % »• 9 

Aisne, Aube, Eure, Eure-et-Loir (17/.), Oise, Somme and Sarthe. 


Prices: 


Producers * and Wholesale Food Prices 
' " Autumn Autumn ~ 

1939 1943 


Francs per Quintal 


. Wheat • \S} . i\ 

Rye v '-r.: I r.:> .y 

Barley 
Oats 
Maize 

Potatoes T • r.r.v 

Sugar-beet 
Sugar rv ? ■ 't: 

Cattle (live weight) • 

Pigs (live weight) 

Beef i ' • - ; 

Pork 
Milk 
Butter 

Eggs (100) . 

* *• « • *** 

The, current position in this region is most serious (re-price 
situation). Wartime rationing has; noi succeeded in reducing consump¬ 
tion in the agricultural regions and increasing surpluses available for 
Paris and its environs. It is known that substantial quantities of 
food find their way to the Parisian black market and thence to the 
restaurants of the metropolis, though prices are usually, very high. 

f 

Cdmriuni cat ions 

Paris has developed as a center of inland communications both by 
reason of its geographical position and by the definite policy of cen¬ 
tralization adapted by the State. 


*? i •*' i 

' 197 

410 

85 

540 

74 

290 

61 

269 

100 

400 

49 

250 

25 

; 53 

334 

643 

660 

, 990 

998 ; 

2,930- 

1,180 

1,800 

1,428 ' 

4,015 

*151 

'330 

1,491 

.5,800 

68 

236 


■i 




















- 21 - 


(Paris) 



xhe physical features have facilitated the development of Paris as a 
road and railway center. The flat'plateau of Brie and Beauce to the 
south are easily traversed by roads, and the FalaisO de l’Isle de 
Prance to the east is pierced by a number of rivers, the Oise, Aisne, 
- ;i arne, and Seine, which afford easy routes converging on Paris. - In 
the Jest particularly the plain bordering the Seine is broad, and rises 
very gradually to the ltw hills of the Collines du Perche, though to 
the souih of Caen the watershed of thfe Collines de Normandie gives rise 
to somewhat steeper slopes. The main routes strike north or south of 
these hills, either following the coastal plain to Cherbourg and 
northern Brittany or cutting south via' the natural routeways of the 
Loire tributaries. 

Since the 17th century, in accordance with the centralization policy 
of the French monarchy, the road network of France has been constructed 
to converge on Paris. The capital therefore, is the nodal point from 
which radiate the main arterial roads, east Belgium, Luxembourg, 

Germany and Switzerland, south to the Mediterranean coast; west to the 
Atlantic ports and north to the Channel. 

Roads: 

The main roads can be briefly tabulated as follows: 

(1) Paris-Laon-llauberge , and thence to Brussels. 

(2) Paris-Chalons-sur-Marne-Verdun-lietz. From Metz two roads 
branch to Luxembourg and Germany. 

(3) Paris-Sezanne-Nancy, and 'thence to Strasbourg. 

• ' ' "V j'i- ■ 

(4) Paris-Troyes-Chaumont-3elfort , and thence to Basle. V 

(5) Paris to Sens where the road forks, one route branching, 
south to Lyons and the Rhone valley via Auxerre, the 
other southeast via Dijon to Geneva. 

(6 ) Paris-Fontainebleau-Montargis -Never s -LIoul ins-Lyons-Avign on- 
Nice » At Moulins a branch of the road strikes south via 
Cleimont-Ferrand and Narbonne to Perpignan. 

; 

(7) Paris-Orleans-Limoges-Toulouse and thence to the Spanish 
frontier. 

(8) Paris-Chartres-LeMans-Angers and Nantes. 



















22 


(Paris) 


( 9 ) Peris-Chartres-Tours-Poitiers-Angouleme-Bordeaux to San 

Sebastian. At Trappes a road branches to Brest via Alencon 
and Rennes. 

(10) Paris-Evreux-Oaen-Cherbourg. 

(11) Paris-Pontoise-Rouen-LeHavre. A branch road connects 
Pontoise and Dieppe. 

(12) Paris-Beauvais-Abbeville-Boulogne-Calais-Dunkerque , and into 
Belgium via Fumes. 

(13) Paris-Amiens-Dunkerque . 

(14) Paris-Peronne-Cambrai-Lille. At Cambrai a branch of the 
road forks to Valenciennes, and then, to Mons, Brussels, 
Linking the radial roads are two road girdles, the inner 
girdle running inside the boundaries of the city, and 
known as the outer boulevards, the outer girdle providing 
communication between the suburbs, so that traffic can 
circumvent the city and the radial roads are kept clear for 
out and in-going traffic. The outer girdle is so constructed 
that tunnels beneath the main roads out of Paris obviate the 
confusion which would be caused by cross-streams of traffic. 


Railroads: 


The importance of this area in terms of railway transport rests on 
the fact that Paris is the nodal point of all the French railway 
system and has always been the location of the headquarters of all the 
important railway-systems, except the erstwhile Alsace-Lorraine. In 
fact, however, the Alsace-Lorraine was amalgamated in 1937 with the 
Est Railway. 

The consolidation of the six'main-line railways of France, two State- 
owned and four company-owned, into the Government-owned French National 
Railway Co., or S.N.C.F. , at the end of 1937, and the welding of the 
separate systems into one cohesive whole was only in the commencing 
stage in 1939. 

Organizationally the S.N.C.F. was managed by a Board of Directors, on 
which the companies possessed representatives, and responsible to the 
Board was a 'Directeur' ,? or General Manager, previously the ,: Directeur 
do l’Exploitation’’ of the North Railway (Nord). He is assisted by an 
Assistant General Manager and 5 technical officers, responsible for 
civil engineering, mechanical engineering, operating, commercial and 












(Paris) 


purchases. These officers together virtually formed, an executive 
Committee, 

The main arteries can be summarized as follows: 


1 


Region 

Station 

Area Served 

Nord 

r * » 

' - 1 ‘ * . 

* 

Gare du Nord 

Beauvais, Le TrepOrt 

Amiens, Abbeviile, Boulogne, Calais, 
Amiens, Arras, Hazebrouck, Dunkirk, 
Cambrai, Douai, Lille, Roubaix. 

St. Quentin, Aulnoye, Mons, Brussels. 
Aulnoye, Charleroi, Namur, Liege. 

Est 

y ; ’ ; ’ • I < / 

-» V ■ e ? ■ • • " ; r* V 

.V * '* • • : • 

• * 

Gare de l’Est . . 

Reims, Mezieres-Charlesville, 

Luxembourg. 

Epajrney, Chalons-sur-Marne, Metz. 
Bar-le-Duc, Nancy, Luneville, Stras- 
\ bourg. ’ . 

Troyes., Chaumont., Belfort (Mulhouse, 
Basle, Berne). 

Sud-Est 

Gare de Lyon 

Dijon, Lyon, Avignon, Marseille, Nice. 
Dijon, Dole, BOsancon. 

Dole, Vallorbe, Lausanne. 

Dijon, Bourg, Amberieu, Geneva. 

Amberieu, Chambery, Modane, Turin. 
Avignon, Nimes, Montpellier, Sete. 
Montargis, Nevers, Moulins (Saint- 
Etienne, Vichy, Clermont-Ferrand). 

Sud-Quest 

Gare d’Austerlitz* 

l 

Orleans, Bourses, Montlucon, Beziers. 
Orleans, Chateauroux, Limoges, Brive. 
Montauban, Toulouse, Narbonne, Cerberc, 
and Spain (Orleans, Blois, Tohrs, 
Poitiers, Angouleme , Bordeaux, 

Bayonne, Hendaye and Spain). 

Bordeaux, Pau, Tarbes. 

Tour, Saumur, Angers, Nantes, Saint 

Nazaire. 


(*) Ga re d’Orsay closed to main-line traffic since 1940. 
























24 


(Paris) 


Region 

Station 

Area Served 

Ouest 

t . • 

Gare Montparnasse 

- * 

V 

« « 

Chartres, Saumur, Niort, Saint, 
Bordeaux. 

Le Mans, Angers, Nantes, La Roche 
Nantes r Lorient, Quimper. .. 

Le Mans, Laval, Rennes .. (Sginli 
Brieuc, Brest, Saint-Malo). 

Dreux, Laigle, Argentan, Piers, 
Granville. 

Ouest 

Gare St. Lazare ** 

Mantes, Evreux, Lisieux, Caen, 
Cherbourg. 

Vernoni Rouen, Le Havre. •• 
Pontoise, Dieppe. 


{'-'*) In normal times the Gare St. Lazare claims to deal with the 

heaviest passenger traffic of any main-line station in the world. 
The inner suburban services from this station are electrically 
operated on the' third-rail system, while those from Montparnasse, 
Gare d’Orsay, and Austerlitz are worked on the overhead 1.500- 
volt D.C. system. ."" 








- 25 - 

The Laon Region 


Departments: Somme 

Aisne 

.... 

Ardennes 

pise 


The department of Somme is in the province of Pigardie. 

The northern part of the- department of Aisne is in the province of 
Picardie, the central part is in the province of Ile-de-France, the 
southern part is in the province of Champagne. 

The department of Ardennes is in the province of Champagne. 

The department of Oise is in the province of Ile-de-France, with excep-^ 
tion of its northernmost part, which extends into the province of Picardie. 


Industrialization: 





There is no great concentration of industry in the predominantly agri¬ 
cultural Somme, Aisne and Oise, though'certain aspects of their Indus 


trial life are important. 

'. * .. * * \ . f . * * - ‘ * • ■ • • • i *. *«*. ’• 

(1) Aircraft Industry. (*) 

(2) Textile Industry. (**) 

* (3) Repair'of Locomotives. 


(Somme Dept.) 

(Somme Dept.) 

■ • ■.:< ■ • - • : '=•-/. : -, -a a -i o ■: 

(,*** (****) ) (Aisne, Somme & Oise Depts.) 


(4) Chemical Industry. (-***) (Somme Dept.) 


(5) Paper Mills. (Aisne & Oise Depts.) 

' i ; f - T • r * • * 


(6) Synthetic Rubber Plants (Oise Dept.) 

In the Ardennes the economy is evenly divided between agriculture and 
industry. The geographical situation of this department which is. mid¬ 
way between the coal mining area of the north and the iron deposits of 
the east, has given rise to'a metallurgical industry, whilst Sedan is 
an important textile center, specializing- in heavy woolens. 

.? # , : * . •/ .. * '. r * - : r * • ' •• - •« *. f: ^ ' 


(*) Albert district in the Somme Department. (The only center of this 
industry in France north of the Seine estuary area). 

(**) Cotton velvets (Amiens), Flax, Jute,'Hemp, Rayon mills in the 
Somme Department. 

(***) Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Franca is (S.N.C.F.F.). owns, 
large locomotive repair depots in' the three departments. 

(****) The general agricultural nature of the region has resulted in a 
number of factories manufacturing chemical fertilizer. Special 
mention should be made of the deposits of phosphate of lime in 
the Somme, which have led to the establishment of a number of 
fertilizer factories (Super-phosphates-Synthetic-ammonia and 
calcium carbide). 







26 


(La on) 


Agriculture: 

Agriculturally this region presents a striking contrast. In its central 
pS! in the Oise and Aisne, it includes the very best of French farming 
and is highly mechanized according to French standards. It posses only 
6.5% of the arable land of France, but it accounts for 12% or the 
national consumption of nitrogenous fertilizers, 11 % of potash and 5% 
of phosphates. It is in the main a region of large farms and high farm- 
ing and the principal production area for France’s wheat and sugar beet. 
Wheat yields are everywhere high, averaging some 50 /O above the very low 
French average (1.6 per hectare). 


In the west is the valley of the Somme and its tributaries cutting deep 
into the chalk plateau, the valleys being occupied with,dairy farming 
and market gardening and the plateau with wheat and sheep. 

In the east of the Ardennes department, is found a continuation of the 
arable belt and in addition north of the River Oise, there is a large 
grassland, dairying and cattle breeding area. In the eastern extremity 
in the Ardennes, there are also some comparatively primitive and back¬ 
ward districts. 

' The crop rotation is three course: 'Wheat-roots - Oats or the improved 
three course: Wheat - roots - Oats, Wheat - clover - oats (barley). 

► • 

An important subsidiary and semi-agricultural activity is the cultiva¬ 
tion of willows for the basket-making industries in the Somme and Oise. 

Many farms were abandoned during the invasion in 1940, Some of the 
occupiers subsequently returned, in other cases farms were taken over 
by the Germans and amalgamated into large units for mechanical cultiva¬ 
tion and run by the German Organization called ,T 0stbund'’ (500,000 
acres)• 

It is known that the French wheat acreage even by 1943 had not recovered i 
more than 4/5ths of the normal, the sugar beet acreage 2/3rds of normal. 
Also the acreage yields are likely to have fallen due to the lack of 
fertilisers. 

The region contains more than ? its share of horses and sheep, but only a 
moderate number of cattle, and very few pigs and goats. 

The dairy cattle are of Flemish, Norman and Frisian breed, with the 
Flemish predominating. In the Ardennes is found the small mountain 
breed known as the ’’Race Ardennaise. ,T Milk is being sold to Paris, 
chiefly from the Oise department (nearly 3/5 of the milk supply). In 
the Somme department nearly half of the milk is turned into butter 
(French average 30%). 





(Laon) 


" 27 - 


Food Industries 

Though not so numerous, as in the northern Lille Region, food in¬ 
dustries are of some importance in the Laon Region. The chief is the: 
sugar beet industry. 

Flour Milling: 

Flour mills are important particularly at .Amiens in the Somme and at 
St. Quentin in the Aisne Department. One of the largest grain mills 
in the region the "Grand Moulins de Clermont 1 ’ is located in the city 
of Clermont, Department of Oise, Its annual production capacity of 
flour is over 24,000 tons. 

The department of Somme and Aisne had before the war eight mills with 
a grain milling capacity of 25 to 50 metric tons per day. Twenty 
seven mills with a grain milling capacity of 10 to 25 m. tons per day 
and twenty mills with a capacity of 5 to 10 m. tons per day. Their 
estimated total milling capacity before the war was 254,200 metric 
tons of grain annually. 

No data exists as to mills below five metric tons capacity, but it is 
known that a number of windmills and small country mills were in the 
Somme and Aisne Departments, in addition to the 55 grain mills 
enumerated above. The cities of St, Amiens and St. Quentin are also 
known for the manufacture of biscuits and starch. 

Cereal’ Manufacturing: 

The largest and well known cereal factory in this region is located 
at Montescourt and is making pates alimentaires (macaroni, etc.) out 
of durum wheat imported from North Africa. 


Sugar Production and Refining: 


The region has altogether about 70.sugar factories, 
sides processing the local sugar beet, undertakes in pea 
refining of imported sugar. 


of which be¬ 
es times the 


At some sugar factories the molasses are utilized on the spot zor one 
distillation of alcohol, while others send their molasses to dis¬ 
tilleries, of which there are altogether 71 in the four departments. 


The acreage restriction scheme, which has been operating since 1930 
(agricultural "protection”) has made it possible for factories to pay 
high prices for sugar beet, so that it is one of the most proiitaole 
crops available. Were it not for these restrictions a great deal more 
of sugar beet could be grown before the war in this region. 







- 28 


(Laon) 


■ V ' 


According to information received from .She liberated areas the 
sugar factories have been short of sugar beet, partly because of re. 
duced acreage and, partly for lack of transport ,ih go mg 
the factories. 


Brewerie q ^etc. : 

There ape numerous breweries and cider factories in the Somme & Ais. 
Departments (Picardie). The breweries rely mainly on imported hops an 
barley from the Beauce and from North Africa. 

Cold Storage Plants, etc.: 

- ' l 

There are large slaughter houses (abattoirs) and meat cold storage 
plants in •‘"he region, especially in Laon and Soissons in the Aisne 
Department. There is a union of meat and cattle, wholesalers in t e 
Somme Department which organizes its deliveries to Paris and the co¬ 
operative disposal of slaughter house offals. 


Vegetable, Oil Refineries: 

Following are some of the plants in the Laon region: 


Location 

Ham, Somme Dept. 
Venette, Oise Dept. 

Venette, Oise D^-pt. 

V : ‘ 

Butter and Cheese Facto 


Firm 

Lefrant, Dargaud et Cie, 
La Nourylande 

Soc. Industrielle de 
Venette 

ries: 


Remarks 

Linseed, colza oils. 
Linseed crushing cap. 
35,000 m.tons annually 

Olive Oil and yeast. 


Most of the butter ar.d cheese is made on the farms, but there is a 
substantial number of small butter and cheese factories' throughout 
the Somme and Aisr.s Departments. These factories have been lately 
unable to secure mill: deliveries on a normal scale from farmers, be¬ 
cause so many of the latter prefer making their own dairy produce and 
selling it on the black market. 

Fishing: 

r -■ ‘ •- 

\ 

Fishing is of negligible significance to this region, there being no 
important fishing ports on the coast of the Somme Department. Some 
fresh water fishing is, however, available in the Ardennes. 















- 29 - 


(La on) 


General: 


The region is one of the principal food-producing regions in France, 
and the four departments have a surplus of almost all the staple 
foodstuffs. The Somme, Oise and Aisne normally have large export 
surpluses of wheat, potatoes, sugar, and smaller ones of milk and 
butter. . The Aisne exports champagne wines and the Ardennes young 
cattle. The Ardennes is however, slightly deficient in wheat and 
meat, and very deficient in sugar. 














- 3 ° - 

The Lille Region 


Departments; Pas-de-Calais 

• ' Nord " - 

The department of Pas-de-Calais is in the province of Artois. 
northwestern part constitutes the, province of Boulonais... The southern¬ 
most part of its coastline protrudes into the province of Picardie. 

■ * % y 

The department of Nord constitutes .the province of Flandre. 
Industrialization: 

The region contains the greatest industrial concentration in France, 
and the textile and metallurgical industries play a predominant role 
in its economy. The industrial concentration of this region has grown 
up in connection with the extensive coal field. The more important 
coal mines are in the department of Pas-de-Calais, the metallurgical 
and textile works are mainly situated in the department of Nord. 

Metallurgy and Haavy Industry 

The extensive coal supplies of the region have led to the development 
of an important metallurgical industry. There is little non-ferrous 
metal working, however, but iron and steel play an important role, as 
normally the ore could be easily obtained from Lorraine (Department of 
Meurthe-et-Moselle). The iron ore deposits of Lorraine are fairly 
accessible, and, if rolling stock were not available, could be brought 
to the area by inland waterway. The production of iron and steel can 
be classified under the following headings: 

(a) Pig iron 

(b) Steel ingots and castings 

(c) Iron and steel tubes 

(d) Steel plates 

The construction and repair of locomotives and rolling stock is very 
important and there is a widespread heavy engineering industry (factory 
equipment). It should be noted that 2 important firms, Massey-Harris 
and Cima-Wallut manufacture agricultural machinery on a large scale. 

The Textile Industry 

The textile industry is of great importance in French economic life. 

It accounts for more than one million workers, and represents 25 per¬ 
cent of the total national economy. In 1957, 17 percent of the total 
value of French imports consisted of raw materials for the textile in¬ 
dustry, and ,13.5 percent of the exports of yarn, fabrics, and ready¬ 
made garments. 








(Lille) 


- 31 - 

The Department of Nord held an important place in the French industry, 
especially in the production of worsteds and woolens, though the linen 
and cotton industries were also important. ’ The Department'of Pas-de- 
Calais was only of minor significance in the textile trade, with excep¬ 
tion of the large viscose rayon mills and the lace industry of Calais. 

Since the Armistice there has been little activity in the French textile 
industry. Most of the raw materials were imported, either from the 
U. S. A. like cotton, or from Australia and Argentine like wool. 

Scene of the cotton mills, however, are utilizing staple fiber, and-it 
is possible that the worsted mills are incorporating continuous fila¬ 
ment rayon of the fiber type into their manufacture. 

* * 

In 1939, France stood third after Great Britain and the U.3.A. for the 
number of worsted spindles, having 2,330,000 out of a world total of 
26,158,300. She stood fourth for the combined total of worsted and 
woolen spindles (Great Britain, U. 3. A., Germany, France). 

Coal Deposits 

French hard or bituminous coal was derived from three main basins, but 
far exceeding the others in extent and importance was the northern coal 
field in the departments of Nora and Pas-de-Calais. During the 10 years 
before 1938 the annual French output of some 46 million tons had not 
varied tp any great extent, and of this total some 60$ was obtained from 
this region, 

France, however, was obliged'to rely on imports, mainly from Great 
Britain, Germany and Belgium, for about 33$ of her requirements, which 
amounted to an average of 70 million tons annually. 

French mineral rights belonged almost exclusively to the State, the * 
mining companies worked ^concessions on the basis of a small rental and 
a royalty, on net earnings. Large companies predominated. 

Coke Ovens and By-Products Plants 

In connection with the coal mining of the area, the mining companies and 
some metallurgical firms established coke ovens, which furnish coke for 
the metallurgical industries of the region. The majority of these are 
in the pas-de-Calais Department, though some are to be found in the 
Nord Department, 

Gas from the coke ovens is used for general distribution, and the region 
unlike the greater part of France, has a well developed gas-grid. 






(Lille) 


- 32 - 

Most of the coke oven batteries have associated by-products plants, 
which include benzol refineries r synthetic ammonia plants,,,and tar 
distillation plants. , •• ; 

, i Chemical Indus try ....... .. 

Apart from the plants treating coke oven by-products a number of pure 
chemical works are to be found in the region. 


The Ets. Kuhlmann have three factories in the Nord Department and’the 
most important one is the La Madelaine plant. It produces: 




Pre-war daily capacity-metric tons 

Sulphuric Acid 

- 

200 

Nitric Acid 

- 

180 

Nitrate.of Lime 

— 

150 

Ammonium Sulphate 

— 

70 - 100. 

Ammonium Nitrate . 

- 

30 

Electric Power Supply: 

. • 

. ’ * ‘ * •. }**,••■ • . r .** « 

* • - ' ' i * ■ 


The Lille Region has a large number of thermal power stations.' It is one 
of the four chief producing areas for electric power in France, and has 
the main concentration of thermal plants. 

‘ ' r . • • . 

Many of the power stations produce solely for general consumption, and 
feed directly into the main French grid. 

Agriculture: 

Farming must be reckoned one of the least important activities of this 
area. In the Department of Nord only about 10$ of the working popula¬ 
tion is engaged in farming and in the Pas-de-Calais Department the propor¬ 
tion is less than 20$ (the French average is 35$). The average yields 

of all the principal crops were among the highest in the country,. while the 
quality of cattle, and horses (Boulonnais) compared most favorably with 
other departments. 

The two departments considered as a whole, in normal times, are self 
sufficient in wheat (the Nord imports some from the Pas-de-Calais De¬ 
partment) and in potatoes. ' 

‘ ”, /* v . * 

Both had a large export of refined sugar, the combined total exceeding 
450,000 tons before the war (to other regions of France). 


The Nord also exports chicory and beer, and the Pas-de-Calais Depart¬ 
ment oats,. Both are deficient, but particularly the Nord, in live¬ 
stock products: Meat, Butter and Cheese. They imported from other 












(Lille) 


- 33 - 

regions not far short of 100,000 tons of meat and probably some 
5000 tons of butxer. 

The sugar and oats surpluses have not been available for export to. 
the rest of France, because the Lille Region was a Zone under Special 
Military control. Three principal zones may be distinguished'. 

The first is, that of the Flanders plain (Nord Dept,), characterized 
by having a very high production of land devoted to the 
so-called ’’industrial orops” (Sugar beet, flax, hemp, chicory). 

The Second zone is that of the chalk land forming a^very broad 
belt stretching right through the Pas-de-Calais from 
Cap Gris Nez to Bapaume. This country, which is always short of 
water and where the crops may be spriously dfiected by drought 
in some seasons, is devoted chiefly to cereals and sheep. 

Thirdly, there are the pasture areas, one at each end of the 
region, that of the Boulogne hinterland with its 
horsebreeding,;, and that of the Ardennes with its 
cattle raising. 

It should be remembered that dairying and market gardening are found 
everywhere in all the three zones and - that nearly every farmer,.even 
though he has a large part of his land-under crops, derives an im¬ 
portant part of his income from the sale of milk and butter. 

The majority of farms in these tv/0 departments are medium sized, oe- 
tween 25-125 acres. Nevertheless, the larger farms, 100-500.acres, 
play an important role of the area, particularly by introducing new 
farming methods. 

Food Industries: 

Although the food industries of this region do not bulk large by com¬ 
parison with the other industries, they constitute a signiiicant pro¬ 
portion of the food industries of France as a whole. 

Grain Milling: 

Foremost is the milling industry, particularly in the Lille - Roubaix 
districts, concerned mainly in the milling of grain grown in the 
region. 







(Lille) 


- 3b - 


Following are the ( ) largest flour mills in tx-is region. 


Nord Dept, 


Capacity 193 
Tons of Tons of 


wheat a day flour a yea 


LOCa t-LU-LL 

Anrioeulin 

Van Elslande Freres (Gr. 
Moulins du Don) 

130 

31,300 

Bourbourg 

Louis et George Duriez 

100 (* (*) **) 

24,000 

Lille 

Meunerie Lilloise 

600 

144,500 

Marquette-lez- 

Lille 

L. et E. Despretz (Minoteries 
de Marquette) 

180 

43,300 

Pr'ouvy-Thiant 

Malteries Franco - Beiges 

120 

28,900 

Valenciennes 

Grand Moulins du Nord 

120 

28,900 

Sugar Factories, 

Refineries and Distilleries: 




The sugar industry is only second in importance to the Laon Region. The 
number of factories is smaller than in the Laon Region (71 factories), 
there being 13 in the department of Nord and 12 in the department of 
Pas-de-Calais. It is believed that a few of these have been damaged 
by aerial attack. There are 4 sugar refineries in the LiHe Region 
(Department of Nord), against 3 sugar refineries in the Laon Region. 


At some sugar factories the molasses is utilized on the spot for dis¬ 
tillation, others send their molasses to distilleries, of which there 
are over 50 in the two departments, some of them using grain as well 
as molasses. 


Breweries and Malt: 

There are over 700 breweries, nearly three quarters of the total number 
in France. Beer, which was first introduced by the English in the be¬ 
ginning of the XVII century, has become the standard drink of industrial 
workers throughout the north, the best known being the beers of Lille, 
Armentieres and St. Amand. 

(*) Capacity over 24“,T)00 tons oi' flour per year. 

(**) Exact capacity not known, but over 100 tons per day. 




















(Lille) 


- 55 - 

The' breweries rely on locally nanufactured ^alt^^hieh itself is^an^ 
important industry. The production .of malt in the ?_s _ . . 

partment alone is about 20,G0C tons per year. 

Chicory Factories: 


There are many chicory factories, especially in the Calais - St. 
O.-.er-Dunkerque area, the annual output being some 4500 .one. 


Chicory is widely used in France and Belgium as an 
coffee. These two departments in the Lille Region 
of the total French production of chicory.. 


admixture to 
contribute 95^ 


Canning: r ." . .. 

The canning and drying of peas is undertaken at Hazelbrcuk, Bergues 
and elsewhere. 

Dairying: 

Butter and cheese are for the most part made not in factories but on 
farms, the best known local cheese being 

•» - - 

There is a margarine factory at Solesmes. 

Vegetable Oil Mills. - • 

There are numerous factories in this region manufacturing edible and 

ifplStfar^to^^d 0 ^ 3 ^ 1 de^^nfoJ Zf’J S plonks in’pos- 
de-Calais. 


Confectionery Factories: 

The bis-cuit, chocolate and 

place in the Lille Region. 

• • .. ,* ; 

The industry used in peace 
large quantities ox xlour, 


confectionery industry occupied a prominent 

times some 15,000 tons of sugar, besides 
cocoa powder and other ingredients. 


Misc. Industries: * 

. / oi imerntflirps) can be found at Bethune 

Cereal manufacturing (pates alimentaire ) 

Canbrai and *Douai. 


A number of starch factories are located in 
elsewhere. 


Cambrai, Valenciennes and 
















- 36 - (Lille) 

There is a small production of yeast, cider, vinegar and mustard in 
the Pas-de-Calais Department. 

Three large salt refineries are in St. Omer (Pas-de-Calais). 

Mushrooms are grown in caves in the environs of Lille and form a 
notable export. 

* ", • t ...'** ** . 4 

Fishing: 

Fishing is carried on on a small scale from all the channel ports, 
but on a very substantial scale only from Boulogne (Pas-de-Calais 
Department). 

In 1937 there were altogether on the coasts of Pas-de-Calais and Nord 
departments 620 registered fishing boats employing nearly 5400 men, and 
of these 4/5th operated from Boulogne. 

The catch contributed nearly 20^ of the French total and by value of 
the amount landed at Boulogne, was more than twice as much as at any 
other port in the country. 

Boulogne specialized mainly on North Sea Herring and Mackerel, 

Dunkerque had an Iceland cod fishing fleet. 

The salting establishments of herring, mackerel and cod at Boulogne 
employed several thousand workers. Cod liver oil was manufactured 
at Dunkerque. 

During the war fishing activities have almost completely ceased and 
a large number of the vessels has been commandeered by the Germans for 
naval patrol work. 


Cold Storage Plants: 


Location 

Firm 

Capacity (Tons) 

Dunkerque (Nord) 

Entrepots Frigot de l T Union 

3200 (*) 

Lille (Nord) 

S. A. Lilloise de Glace Pure 

700 

Boulogne-Sur-Mor 
(Pas-de-Calais) 

Frigo, Beauren 

800 

t? f? ?? 

Frigo, Dcscottes 

. 700 

t» tt ?f 

Entrepots Frigo de l T Union 

2800 


(*) Damaged in 1S40, available capacity not known. 








- 37 - 


(Lille) 


General: 


As the Lille Region is both a maritime and a frontier region, the ques¬ 
tion of communications is of primary importance. In peace time cross- 
channel communications ware of greater importance (significance) tiun 
long distance sea routes, though between 1930 and 1939 the importance 
of Dunkerque as a wool-importing port, and as a port oi outlet xor 
the manufactured goods of the region,had grown considerably. 

Land routes, both road and rail, connect the region with Belgium:, 
Holland, and Germany. The canal system, the most extensively de¬ 
veloped in France, is linked to the Belgian, and thence to the Dutch 
and German systems, ’ 





The Chalons Region 


Departments: 


Marne 

Aube 

Haute-Marne 


The departments of Marne and Aube are in the province-of Champagne. 

The department of Haute-hlarne is also in the province of Champagne, 
but its southeastern part protrudes into the province of Trane.e 
Comte and its northeastern part extends into the province of or u 1 • 


Industrialization: . , 

Industry is on the whole of minor significance in the region, though 
certain specializod branches are of importance. 

The Chalons Region is essentially agricultural, and the heavy industries 
are of minor significance when compared with those in the more industrial 

part of France. 

Metallurgical Industry: 

The absence of deposits of coal and iron have made the possibility of 
the development of a large scale metallurgical industry economically 
unprofitable. The production of iron and steel castings is of fair 
importance in the department of Haute-Marne, but in the departments 
of Aube and Marne production is negligible. In the Haute-Marne and the 
Saint Dizier district is the most important heavy metal center. 


Textile Industry: 

The department of Marne has several wool-spinning and weaving mills. 

Reims (Marne department) has an important textile industry, which 
normally employed almost 20,000 workers. It is noted for the production 
of flannel, cashmere, merino luxury novelties, and a wool fabric known 
as "Reims cloth,” the worsted and woolen industry in Reims, although 
important before the whr, has never fully recovered from the set back 
it received in 1914-18, and was declining. 

Troyes in the department of Aube is the main center in France of the 
hosiery industry. It is also known for the production of machinery for 
the hosiery industry, as well as of other textile machines and accessorie 


Locomotive and Rolling Stock Repair Shops: 

There are four locomotive and rolling-stock repair shops of importance 
in the region. At Eperney (department of Marne), the S. N. C. F. have 
an important repair center for rolling stock. Locomotives were at one 
time built here, but at present these workshops are concentrating on 
repair work. 








(Chalons) 



- 39 - 

Chemical Industry; 

. . 0 nnt 0 f great importance. 

The chemical industry of th? . 8hal ^„ r concerned either with nanufactur- 
The small chemical industry is m«-i 1/ vineyards, or with utilizi g 
ing artificial fertilizers fo? the crops or vine/ 

locally grcwp. timber. 

Agriculture: 

j n w ar-ricu" 1 hural and is, above six, famous 
The Chalons Region is essen -laxly agr - . ouite varied 

as the Champagne country, though it nas aXtoget^r ^ &e cham - 

agricultural economy. Holdings are ~ oftb e region are to he 

pagne districts, some of tne amal^ ^ divided between a# many 

found. Some 16,000 hectares of. yvneyaras 

proprietors. 

- --m-.jn in the Chalons Region, 

About 5% of the total French wheal crop a ro. 

mainly in the Aube and Marne. 

Some 6* of the total French profusion « oats are grown I* the Chalons 
Region and are used for foddei. 

In the Champagne Crave'use, barley ^valuable for brewing, 

its superior quality making it especially v.luaDO- 

Potatoes are not widely grown. 

^"inllv in the neighborhood of 
Market gardening is of significance, esp ^ ’valley. 

Reims and in the turfy, fertile soil oi 

The asparagus and onions of Heim, and Eper^F are widely hnown. 

_ _ 4-’np Inru^res plateau, ana. 

Hops are not uncommon in the lower valley ° p rae t-iced. 

' In the department of Aube agriculture is wid^ 

.. p vmv found a ready market 
Surplus products, as were available befraet y , - 

in the industrial concentration of the Paris 

. , surplus of about 200,000 

In the pre-war period the Chalons region a Paris and Dijon, 

tons of wheat and rye, the bulk of which *n. _ 

rag made up by imports 

The potato deficit of about 40, OvX^^tteny (eal^ly potatoes), 

mainly from the Nancy area end from Brixxen, 


Small imports of sugar came from Laon. 




_ i|0 - (Chalons) 

Smaller deficiencies of fats and meat supplies were made good by 
shipments, chiefly from Normandy. 

The wine shortage, which was produced by large export trade, was made 
up by imports from the south of France. 

The annual milk production of the region normally amounted to some 
4,000,000 litres, much of which was exported to the Dijon Region, and 
to Paris. 

Wine Production: 

The famous champagne vineyards are to be found in the ancient province 
of Champagne within a comparatively small and irregular triangle,.Reims^ 
Eperney, Chalons. The vineyards in the Marne valley in the vicinity 
of Eperney are known as the Vignobles de la Riviere, and those covering 
the hill - slopes above Reims, arc the Vignobles de la Montagnes (the 
latter is the more important zone). 

No wine is legally entitled to the name of Champagne, unless it is made 
from grapes grown in a strictly limited area within the ancient province 
of Champagne. The greater part of this area falls within the Chalons 
Region. 

It includes: 

. * ■ • V - . ! 

(1) The arrondissements of Reims and Eperney, the canton of 
Vitry, and 10 communes in the canton of Helitz-le-Maurupt 
(Marne). 

(g) About 80 communes in the department! of Aisne. Other communes 
may call their wine I? Champagne Deux ieme Zone . '' 

They include: ' • 

(1) Communes of the arrondissement of Saint - Menehould (Marne). 

[2) Communes of the arrondissement of Bar-Sur-Au.be (Aube). 

( o) Communes of the arrondissement of 7/assy (Haute-Marne) • 

(4) Communes of the cantons of Chavanges and Bar-Sur-Soine (Aube). 

A number of different types of vine are cultivated, and both black and 
white grapes aro grown, they include: 








(Chalons) 


- i|l - 

(a) Franc Pineau (Ay district) 

(b) Plante Gris, or Burot (around Verzy and 
Verzenay) 

(c) Eninette (Cote d f Avize and in the Cranant area) 

(d) Mounier (Eperney Valley) 

(e) Moslier 

(f) Gamis (vineyards of Vertus) 

Planting of the young vines takes place between November and April. 

In the course of two or three years the plants are ready for ’la 3 r ering' r 
and subsequently for pruning and harvesting. Six years are generally 
required for the harvesting of a good crop. 

The making of champagne is a slow process which demands great skill. 

It differs from still wines in that it is bottled at an early stage 
in the fermentation and completes its fermenting in the bottle. Thus 
carbonic-acid gas remains in the wine, and gives it its characteristic 
sparkling quality. The bottles have to be stocked neck downwards, and 
are shaken to facilitate the precipitation of sediment, which is frozen 
to the cork. The cork is removed, liqueur or syrup is added, and the 
bottles re-corked and wired. 

The total French production of Champagne averages 400,000 hectoliters 
annually, produced'from vineyards covering an area of aoout 10,000 
hectares, "in 1937, about 43,000,000 bottles were exported from the 
whole Champagne district, and of this, about 15,000,000 were sent out¬ 
side' France. 

The vine harvest has been exceedingly good. The 1943-44 trench crop was 
some .10,000,000 hectoliters greater than that of 1942-43, in spite of 
the deficiency of copper and sulphur. 

Grain Milling: 

Apart from the wine industry little food processing is carried on in the 
region. There are a number of flour mills in each department, but these 
are only small mills. 

Sugar Industry: 

» 

The Reims district is the center of the sugar beet production of the 
region, and much of the crop is treated in the sugar factories of the 




(Chalons) 


- k2 - 

Aisne and Ardennes departments. In the department of Marne there are 
two sugar factories and two alcohol distilleries. The total output of 
the region is about 2.5$ of France’s gross production. 

Breweries: 

The region has several breweries, one at Troyes (Aube), six in the de¬ 
partment of Marne, three of which are at Reims, and two in the depart¬ 
ment of Ka ute-Marne. 

Biscuits, Chocolate & Confectionery Manufacture, etc. 

The production of biscuits is of some importance in the region. The 
Aube has 11 factories, six of which are at Troyes, three at Bar-Sur-Aube, 
and two at Romilly-sur-Seine, Reims is the center, 16 of the 20 fac¬ 
tories in the department of Marne, are situated in that town. It is 
also famed for its gingerbread. 

Chocolate and confectionery are produced on a small scale, there being 
two factories at Troyes (Aube), five factories at Reims and one in the 
department of Marne. 

Honey is produced at Troyes and at Dommartin-Sous-Hans in the Marne. 

Troyes is also known for the manufacturing of Andouillettes, a type of 
sausage made from tripe. _ A . ' ' * ' 

• * r • : 

Dairying: 


Although the butter output is small, the quantity of cheese made in 
the region represents about 7-l/2$ of the total French production. 

BRIE is the most important type, and in pre-war times substantial quan¬ 
tities were exported both to Paris Halles and to England. • GRUYERE 
cheese is also made in this region. 





Departments: 


The Nancy Region 


Meuse 

Muer t he -e t -Mo se 1 le 
Vosges 


The department of Meuse is in the province of Lorraine. Its western 
boundary includes a point of the province of Champagne. 

The departments of Meurthe-et-Moselle and Vosges are in the province 
of Lorraine. 

Industrialization: 

The industrial area of the department of Meurthc-et-Moselle dominates 
the economic life of the Nancy region. This department has rich 
natural resources, the chief of which is the extensive iron-ore^ 
deposits of the 3riey Longwy and Nancy basins. (' ) These deposits 
have given rise to a highly important metallurgical industry, though 
the area suffers frem the disadvantage of having no coal deposits, and 
thus is obliged to import fuel. The industry iS in the hands Of^ a 
number of important concerns, who operate mines, coking plants, clast 
furnaces and steel—works. In contrast ;ith the importance of ohe 

iron and steel industry, engineering is only of minor significance. 

The deposits of rock salt [^') in the Meurthe-et-Moselle have resulted 
in the establishment of a chemical industry of some significance, 
treating salt and salt derivatives. The important plant of Solvay et 
Cie at Dombasle accounts for. about 50 percent of the total French pro¬ 
duction of soda ash. (475,000 tons annually;. 

Deposits of sand suitable for the manufacture of glass have made Nancy 
the center of the glass industry of some importance. (Baccarat) The 
industry has specialized rather in fancy-glassware, although some 
optical glass is produced. 

The department of Vosges has an industrial economy entirely different 
from that of the Meurthe-et-¥oselle. It is one of the most important 
areas in France for the spinning and weaving of cotton and the manu¬ 
facture of knit goods, underwear and ready made clothing. 

The department of Vosges in addition has a paper and printing industry 
of primary importance, specializing in the production o± high grade 
paper and art editions. The Vosges is also well forested {***) and has 
a woodworking industry. 

(*) The quantities of iron-ore mined in this region represented nearly 
50% of the French total production of iron-ore. 

(**) The production of salt in this region, according to 1936 statistics 
amounted to 70.6 percent (1,209,690 tons) of the total French salt 

production. ~ . 

(***)Since August 1940, under a decree of the Vichy G-overnment, all 

forests, whether State communal or privately owned, have been 
placed under strict control. 





(Nancy) 


-kh- 

Agriculture: 

The region is of seconary importance agriculturally, and is deficient 
inmost of the essential foodstuffs. Under peace time conditions, only 
potatoes and milk were produced in excess of the region’s requirements. 

About 2.5 <jo of the French potato crop is produced in the region and over 
half of it is harvested in the Vosges department, a number of small works 
producing ^fecule 1 '’ (potato flour) usOd in the production of size em¬ 
ployed in the textile industry. 

Nearly Q% of all the French cheese comes from the Nancy Region, and 60 
percent of the regional total is produced in the Vosges department (Co¬ 
operative dairy farming is almost unknown in this region). 

Hops are extensively grown for use in the brewing centers. In 1940 the 
Germans took over, and assumed responsibility for the collective culti-. 
vation of a number of farms in northeast France, in departments stretching 
from the Channel'to Burgundy. (The Ostland organization, or, as it be¬ 
came known later, the Reichsland org.")~. Some 2,6 million hectares came 
under German supervision. In 1942-43 it was stated in the German press 
that some 170,000 hectares were actually managed by the Reichsland, that 
about 2.2 million hectares were only nominally under German supervision, 
and had, by implication, been returned to the peasants. Considerable 
areas-which have been ploughed up under German supervision were unculti¬ 
vated before the war. 'The head of the Reichsland organization was in 
Paris (under direction of the German Min. of Agr.), one of its four branch 
offices was in the city of Nancy. ' 

Except for substantial surpluses of milk end potatoes, the Nancy region 
is a deficient area. 

Wheat and rye were formerly obtained from the Dijon and’Orleans regions. 
The meat deficit was probably met from the same sources, while sugar was 
obtained from the Laon region. Supplies of wine came from the south of 
France and were supplemented by North African imports. Surpluses of milk 
and potatoes were probably despatched to thg. industrial centers of Alsace. 

Food Industries 

Food processing industries as a whole are not important to the region, 
though there are some breweries of significance.- Some flour mills'are 
to be found, and there are small centers for the- production, of ..jam, . 
biscuits, chocolate. j" • 

Grain Milling: <. A : '' V- 

• i . \ !:'/ 1 *' n ‘ ♦ 

Most of the flour mills of the region are small, and are. scattered through 









(Nancy) 


- h5 “ 

out the three departments. One of the largest in France, however, that 
of the Grand Moulins Vilgrain, is located at Nancy, and has a capacity 
of 72,000 tons of flour per annum. 

Breweries: 

Each department has several breweries, though those of the Meurthe-et- 
Moselle department are of greatest importance. The largest brewery in 
the region is that of the Grandes Brasseries et Malteries de Champ igneullcs 
which has an annual production of 400,000 hectoliters (88,000 gallons). 

Alcohol Distilleries: 

The region lies east of the important sugar beet belt, so that alcohol 
distilling is only of secondard importance. There is, however, a large 
beet alcohol distillery situated at Verdun, the Distillerie de la Meuse, 
and two smaller distilleries are to be found in Nancy. 

Jam, Biscuits, Chocolate and Canning: 

Bar-le-Due is a small center for the manufacture of jam and the canning 
of fruit. 

Chocolate is manufactured at Nancy and at Saint-Die, while biscuit fac¬ 
tories are to be found in Nancy and Commercy (Meuse). Two firms in 
Nancy manufacture yeast. 







Departments: 


- 46 - 

The Alsace Region 


Moselle 
Bas-Rhin 
Haut-Rhin 

The department of Moselle is in the province of Lorraine.. 

The departments of Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin are m the province of 

Alsace. 

a * . , 1 *i 

General: 

Alsace-Lorraine may be divided into two distinct geographical areas. 

The southern and eastern part, including the department of Haut-Rhin 
and the greater part of the Bas-Rhin, is a section of the deep e ^- 
closed plain of the Rhine Valley, shut off by the steep edge of the 
Vosges massif, while the department of Moselle in the northwest is a 

part of the Lorraine plateau. 

The two areas are distinct climatically, the Rhine department having 
less cloud cover and less rainfall than the bleak plateau-lands of 
the Moselle, and the former is more productive agriculturally. More¬ 
over, the stiff cold soils of the wheatlands of Lorraine have little 
in common with the more workable, rich soils of the Alsatian plain. 

i • 

Before the war the population of the region was estimated at approxi¬ 
mately 1.9 millions; The proportion of men and women engaged.in 
agriculture was low, averaging 10% for the 3 departments, against 35% 
for France (natural average). The- industrial centers, were Metz,•Colmar, 
Mulhouse and Strasbourg*, ..... 

In 1941 the population was estimated at 1.1 millions , Dut it is probable 
that this figure does not include the Germans, who since the annexa¬ 
tion in 1941 were settled in this region. (It was reported that 2600 
farms were taken over by Germans and given to German and Austrian 
peasants). 

Industrialization: 

Three wars, during the last 70 years, with their resultant territorial 
changes, have given to Alsace-Lorraine an unique economic development. 

The steel industry of the Moselle, for example, was established by 
German enterprise and capital at the close of the last century. In 
1870 the Mulhouse district (Haut-Rhin) had a flourishing textile in¬ 
dustry, specializing in cotton spinning. The neighboring department 
of Vosges undertook the weaving and finishing. Alsace was separated 
from the Vosges by the German frontier of 1870. During the German rule 
1870-1914 weaving and finishing centers were established in the Mulhouse 
district (Haut-Rhin), and conversely, the French developed spinning and 
dyeing centers in the Vosges, 





- hi - 


(Alsace) 


In the years preceding the present war Alsace-Lorraine was an mportan 
industrial area, contributing in no small wqy to French economic pro¬ 
duction. The region has valuable raw material resources, m the icrm 
of extensive iron-ore deposits, coal mines which provide a par o 
the fuel needed for the regions’ industry, the most important potash 
deposits in Europe, salt mines, and the only fully exploited minera 
oil deposits of any significance in France. 

Iron and Steel Industry: ' *. 

There was a flourishing iron and steel industry concentrated in the 
Moselle department in nine main plants. Although these obtain all 
their iron-ore requirements locally, they are dependent to a large 
extent on imported fuel. There are some coal deposits in the area [ ) 
which can only be used advantageously when mixed with a coai^of a 
different quality, for example, with that.from theNord and ras-de- 

Calais field. 

Various branches of the engineering industry were carried on, but 
were secondary to the steel production, though'the Strasoourg an 
Mulhouse areas were centers of some importance, specializing mainly 
in the production of factory equipment in particular textile machinery, 
and of machinery for flour mills (Ets. Anc. Schneider Jaquet et-Cie.j, 
as well as flour sifting plant (Franck et Cie in Selestat). 

The annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by the Germans in 1S40 has brought 
considerable changes to its metallurgical industry. The iron and 
steel industry has been reorganized and the works placed under the 
direct administration of German films, while production has been in¬ 
tensified. As far as engineering is concerned, little detailed in¬ 
formation is available, though it is certain that such articles 
as textile machinery are no longer being manufactured, and_ repor s 
indicated that work was being done on armaments and aircraft or 
aero-engine components. 

The Textile Industry: 

The textile industry of Alsace was of primary significance, the 
Mulhouse-Colmar district being particularly important. Almost all 
branches of the industry were represented, though the region 
•specialized in the spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing of cotton. 
The manufacture of underwear ahd ready made clothing was of secondary 
importance. The wool industry of Alsace was also of considerable 
significance, and the main spinning and weaving centers were Mulhouse 

and Saint-Marie-aux-Mines• 


(*) In 1938 the Moselle coal field produced approximately 6.8 million 
tons, 14 percent of the French total, and was the second most 
important coal field in France. 







(Alsace) 


- i*a - 

Owing to lack of raw materials, the textile industry has been 
forced to operate at a greatly reduced rate since 1940, and many 
mills have closed down completely. - It is reported that some of 
.the idle mills have been equipped with fresh machinery and were 
being used for the production of armaments or components for the air¬ 
craft industry. • t 

-• 30 . 1 -• . . 

Paper Factories: • 

Although Prance had not by General European Standards, an important 
paper industry, the paper mills of Alsace were among some of the more 
important in France. Moreover, Strasbourg had one important pulp 
mill, and, as a university town, was a printing center of some 
significance. 

Chemical Industry: 

The heavy chemical industry'of this region is dominated by the 
Alsatian sylvinite deposits, which have a high potash content. In 
normal times almost 3 million tons of crude potash salts ,,were. pro¬ 
duced annually. , r ' • 

The refining of these sales, which'was carried out locally, was a 
very considerable industry, the average pre-war output of refined 
potash products'being 1 and 1*5 million tons per year, of which 5 
to 700,000 tons annually were exported from France. 

The region also supports a small but compact fine ‘Chemical industry, 
which owes its origin to the location of several dyestuffs manufac¬ 
turers near Mulhouse. To meet the. requirements of these,dye. firms 
for Chemical intermediates the production of sulphuric acid, nitric 
acid, and various solvents has grown -up in the neighborhood. 

Utilizing the local deposits of rock salt for the manufacture.; of 
Soda ash and other salt derivatives, there are,, in the. department 
of Moselle, two plants owned by Solvay & Cie. The works at Sallarbe 
is the most important with a capacity of 145,000,.tons of s.oda ash per 
annum, which represents 15$ of the total French capacity. The annual 
capacity of the Chateau-Salins plant is 54,000 tons of soda ash. 
Caustic Soda, Sodium Bicarbonate, and crystal soda are produced at 
Ham. Another important producer of Alkalis is the Potass©' et Produits 
Chimiques, S. A. with works at Thann (Haut-Rhin.) producing Caustic 
Soda, Caustic Potash & Potassium bromide. An affiliated company is 
the only factory in France producing titanium dioxide, and has a 
capacity of 1500 tons per annum. 

In the summer of 1941, the Alsatian mining industry was merged for 
interim trustee administration with the Elsassische Kaliwerke G.M.B.H. 
founded for this purpose by the Preussische Bergwerks and Hutten, A.G, 







- 49 - 


(Alsace) 


Potash Production: - 

The total production of the'potash salts in France,amounting to 
over 2,000,000 tons in 1936, was derived from the'department of 
Haut-Rhin. The deposits were discovered in 1900, but were only 
fully exploited after the return of Alsace in 1918, (The Mines 
Domaniales produced 66.5$ of the total French production of 
potash.) 

Mineral Oil: 


The deposits of oil sand near Pechelbronn , in the department of 
Bas-Rhin, are the only known source of crude oil in France, with 
the exception of the 3aiAt-G-audens field, (in the Toulouse region - 
Haut-Garonne department), which has not, as yet, been exploited. 
Crude oil production in Pechelbronn before the war amounted to 
some 70,000 tons per annum, or approximately 1$ of French oil re¬ 
quirements at that time, and 3600 men were employed in the field and 
refineries. Present production is estimated to be at about the 
same level. 

Salt: 


There are important salt-deposits in the northern part of the 
region. (Lorraine-Moselle). In 1936 there were ten salt conces¬ 
sions in exploitation in the department, producing 10$ cf the total 
French production, which amounted to 1,711,000 tons annually. The 
production in Alsace consisted of 38$ of refined salt and 62$ of 
salt in solution. 

Glass Manufacture: 


The manufacture of glass is of some importance in the region, 
notably in the department of Moselle. Most types of glass are 
produced, including optical and watch glasses, 'crystal, plate and 
window glass, engraved and decorated glass. Products manufactured 
include domestic and scientific glassware. 

Brick, Tiles,, e'tc. : 

• "■ i 

The manufacture of bricks tiles, fire bricks, ceramics, etc. is 
important in the region. Alsace is also one of the principal 
centers in France for the manufacture of clay pottery. 

There is a well-developed woodworking industry in Alsace-Lorraine, 
though in normal times, in addition to utilizing local supplies, 
which came mainly from the forested slopes of the Vosges (department 








- 50 - 


(Alsace) 


of Haut-Rhin), the region imported timber from Scandinavia and Central 
Europe, as well as from America. 


NOTE: The important leather industry was omitted for lack of data. 


General: 


Alsace-Lorraine was under direct German administration and full 
use of the territory was therefore comparatively easy to attai^, 
speaking, therefore, the mines, mineral oil refmenes, ana ir 

firms maintained a high rate of production and still-mpl«y a large 

labor force. The textile industry has, however, suffered hea y 
lack of raw materials, and in some caaes the mills have been adapted for 
use of the production of aircraft and aero-engine , 

armament manufacture. (Increase of the demand for spe 


Agriculture: 


Agriculture in the region was less important than industry, and Alsace- 
Lorrainewas far from'being self-sufficient in the matter of essential 
foodstuffs. Little wheat and sugar beet were grown, though the P 1 ™* 
tion of potatoes, oats, barley and hops was of gfeat importance. Mark 
gardening was carried on on a fairly large scale, and vines were cult ^ 
vated in the Rhine Valley. Considerable quantities of tobacco were a 

grown. 


Potatoes were the one crop in which there was a large surplus. T ’ ne 
average balance available for export of over 300,000 tons was one of 
the largest in any region of Prance. Milk was adequate to supply 
needs with a small surplus. It was estimated in pre-war days t a 
wheat and rye were lacking by over 150,000 tons,, sugar by nearly 40, , 

meat by nearly 20,000, and wine by over 100,000 tons. 


Specific figures of current production are not available. The G-erman 
agricultural policy since 1940 has been to intensify cultivation, and 
to encourage the attainment of as great a degree of self-sufficiency as 
possible. Machinery, seeds and fertilizers have been introduced into 
the region. It is known, that quantities'produced, have with the aid 
of rationing, gone further in making Alsace self-sufficient than in the 
pre-war days. 


Food Industries: 


Food processing was of fair importance, Strasbourg (*) being the main 
center. The town had important flour mills, chocolate and biscuit 


(*) Alsace-Lorraine as a whole is not highly important for food-pro¬ 


cessing with exception of Strasbourg. 













(Alsace) 


- '51 - 

factories, and specialized in such products as CHARCUTERI3, .PATE-Dr.- 
FOIS-GRAS and SAUERKRAUT. The region has an important brewing in. Tit* 
with its main concentrations in Strasbourg and Metz. No information is 
available as to the present state of the food processing m us ries. 
Strasbourg was, however, the main center of activity, an 1 ^- s ° u 
whether all the factories operating there have been re-establishe . 

Grain Milling: 

The region is very low in flour-milling capacity. Nevertheless Stras¬ 
bourg is an important center, and the port has good facilities for 
handling and storage of grain. There are'two important flour mills, the 
Grands Moulins de Strasbourg (capacity 120,000 of flour per annum) and 
the Minoteries Alsaciennes (capacity 30,000 tons per annum;. 

Sugar Industry: 

Only a small quantity of sugar beet, less than 0.75 percent of the French 

total, is grown in the region, and cultivation is confine 

Rhin. 

There is only one Important sugar factory and refiners,', that of the S. A. 
des Sucreries et Raffineries a'Erstein, at Erstein (Bas-R,.in,. pro¬ 

duction for the season 1938-39 amounted to 8.250 tons of sugar. The 
plant is reported to be in use at-present. 

Vegetable Oils: 

The cultivation of oilseed and rape, which formerly was negiigible save 
in the Rhine Valley, has been extended to over 3500 hectares, 
the sowings of linseed, hemp and poppy seed are said to h -ve been in 
duced on a relatively large scale. Intensive effor s oo ma - 
self-sufficient in cattle feed by the.cultivation of ^odder crops, 
reported not to have met with any rapid success. 

The great distance from the sea made it possible for the French in pre¬ 
war times to develop in this region the treatment of imported raw 
materials such as oil seeds. There is no extensive oilseed crusn g 
or vegetable oil refining in this inland region. 

There is one small vegetable-oil mill in Strasbourg, the Huileriede 
Strasbourg, treating linseed and colza oils, with an output oi s n 
1500 tons per annum. 

Wine Industry: 

Wine output is not great, but the quality of the different vintages 
makes them popular. The chief vine growing centers are the Mosell 






(Alsace) 



Valley, the .region of Metz Is renowned for its hills^ing 

■hillsides of the Vosges, famous since- antiquity, and the hill 6 

the Rhin plain, between Thann in the Haut-Rhin and Wasselonne m 

Bps-Rhin* 

The various soils, including gravel and limestone, prove excellent for 
grapes, although it must be stressed that the quality of the vines p 
duced in the three regions varies greatly. 'Annual output is most un- 
even, and whereas it averaged, pre-war, 600,000 hectoliters a year, an 
has reached as high a figure as 1.3 million hectoliters, it a.- a so 
fallen to less than 250,000 hectoliters. 

The numerous vintages take.their names primarily from the communes in 
which they are made. Some of the best known CEPAGE3 of the Kgion in 
order of quality are: RIESLING, TRAMINER, SYLVANER, KLEVE1TER, MUSCAR, 
GSNTIL and T0CKAY. • 


Breweries, etc,: 

.■ ■ ■ . ■ f- ■■ ■ , 

Barley production in the Lorraine plateau and the Rhine plain is impor 
tant and supplies a considerable number of breweries in the locality. 

Although upt comparable to the Not'd and Pas-de-CalOis, Alsace-Lorraine 
has an extensive brewing industry, which, moreover, is largely dependent 
on locally grown barley and hops. There are breweries throughout the 
three departments though the most important breweries are situated in 
the suburbs of Strasbourg and several have an annual output,.of.over 1Q0,00 
hectoliters. In Metz, three of the five breweries have an annual capacity 
of over 100,000 hectoliters. , 

Little detailed information is available as to the present operation of 
the breweries, but there are indications that they are probably working 
at a reduced level. • '■ ' ' . 

A specialized product of Alsace-Lorraine is KIRSCH, a type of liqueur 
distilled from cherries, which is made chiefly in Colmar. 

Dairy Industry: " ‘ 

1* .v 

The "Montbeliard” and the "Tachete d’Est”, the chief cattle breeds, are 
found in Lorraine and on the slopes of the Vosges in lower Alsace where 
the pastures are particularly rich. ' * 


The milk yield'is generally good, being above the average for the country, 
MJNSTER cheese, which is widely exported, is made chiefly in the-south- 
of the Vosges. The Bas-Rhin is the most important butter making depart¬ 
ment and before the war production of both butter and cheese represented 
2% of the French total. 





(Alsace) 


./ r ‘ - 53 - 

Market Gardening and Canning: 

Market gardening is widespread throughout the region, fruit production 
generally taking precedence over vegetable growing. Along the many 
river'valleys market garden produce is formed with the consequent de¬ 
velopment of the canning industries, in addition to a thriving "export" 

trade in "primeurs." 

* , 

In lower Alsace, white cabbages are grown, chiefly in Bas-Rhin, and 
manufactured into sauerkraut. 

* ' * 1 * ; 

Horbourf asparagus, onions, peas, celery and fruit.of all descriptions 
are among the produce that is sold locally, and also canned at such 
centers as-Colmar, Selestat, Wissembourg and Strasbourg. 

Feculeries: 

Although this department of Vosges is thd chief center in France for the 
production*of the fecule (potato starch), used in the making of the 
"Size" employed in the'textile industry, there are nevertheless in the 
Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin, where the textile industry is equally flourishing, 
a number of "feculeries." These are probably not operating at present, 
as the textile industry is at a very low ebb, and the potatoes will be in 
a greater demand as food. 

* • 

Miscellaneous Food Factories: 

T - — 1 ■ ' 

Strasbourg has an extensive food-processing industry of a varied nature. 

In addition to the products already mentioned, there is a CHAR CUTER IE 
industry, PATE-IE-FOIE-GRAS is prepared and noodles are manufactured, 

A certain amount of fruit and vegetable canning is carried on in Stras¬ 
bourg and the surrounding district, other centers being Selestat, 

Illkirch, and Wissembourg. At Strasbourg there are also biscuit and 
chocolate factories. 

In the Bas-Rhin, Colmar and Mulhouse are of importance for the production 
of CHARCUTERIE, and'fruit and vegetables are also canned at these centers. 
There is a small manufacture of biscuits. 

* • j •* 

In the Moselle, the food industries are of less significance, though Metz 
is a center- for canning and for the manufacture of jam. 

• * * 5 -• -f 

Hops: 

Alsace is historically one of the oldest and the most outstanding hop¬ 
growing areas in France. The impetus of graving this crop came originally 








(Alsace) 


- 54 - 

' ' < 

from Bohemia and Bavaria, and, as a result, a large industry has de¬ 
veloped in Bas-Rhin, nearly 80 percent of France's output coming from 
that department blone. Approximately l/lOth of the pre-war.production 
was used locally, and the balance was 'exported to Bavaria, Belgium and 
England. The great hop market of the region.is at Haguenau. 


Producer and Wholesale Food Prices Retail Food Prices 



RM. 

per 100 Kg.(*) 

• 

RM. 

per 100 Kg.(*■ 

Autumn 

1939 

Autumn 

1943 

Autumn 

1939 

Autumn 

1943 

Wheat 

19.60 

21.80 

i 

Bread 

0.34 

0.34 

Rye 

17.90 

20.10 

Flour 

0.44 

0.48 

Barley 

16.40 

16.40 

Beef 

1.74 

1.74 

Oats 

17.60 

• 19.60 

Pork 

1.64 

1.84 

Maize 

20.00 

28.00 

* Lard 

2.14 

2,14 

Potatoes 

6.10 

6.40 

Milk 

0,25 

0.27 

Sugar Beet 

3.25 

3.40 

Butter 

' 3.20 

3.60 

Sugar 

41.82 

41.94 

Eggs (each) 

0.12 

0.12 

Cattle 

87.00 

94,60 

Margarine 

1.96 

1.96 

Pigs 

97.20 

128.00 

Sugar 

0.80 

0.78 

Beef 

160,00 

160.00 

Potatoes 

0.08 

0.10 

Pork 

144.00 

146.00 

Beer’ 

. 0.78 

0.72 

Milk 

16.62 

18.36 




Butter 

'268.00 

308.50 




Eggs (100) 

10,50 

10,50 

(*} In arriving at the 

1939 figures 

Cheese 

169.37 

193.50 

above the 

exchange 

rate of 

Lard 

183.04 

183.04 

100 fr, = 

6,2 R.M. 

has been 




used. 



(*) In arriving at the 1939 

• 



figures 

above the 

exchange 




rate of 

100 fr. - 

6.2 R.M . 




has been used. 






Recapitulation: 


Alsace-Lorraine, after its annexation by Germany, became subject to the 
same control as was in force throughout the Reich. For the farming in¬ 
dustry this entailed the introduction of the German system of control of 
agricultural production, deliveries, rationing and prices. All agricul¬ 
tural producers and manufacturers of food products were obliged to belong 
to the Reich Food Estate (Reichsnahrstand) , which in 1933, took over the 
executive powers of the German Ministry of Agriculture and Food. 

















55 


(Alsace) 


In Alsace the food and price administration, newly created by the 
Germans, was attached to the existing organization in the district of 
Baden* The administration of Lorraine was incorporated in that of the 
Palatinate. Each administration, directed from District Food Offices 
in Strasbourg and Metz respectively, was, of course, responsible to 
the central Reich Food Estate in Berlin. 





Departments: 


The O r leans Re gion 


Eure-et-Loir 
Loiret 

Loir-et-Cher 
Cher 

The department of Eure-et-Loir is in the Province of Orleanais. 

Its western part extends in the Province of Maine, its northwestern 
part is in the Province of Normandie, 

The department of Loir-et-Cher is in the Province of Orleanais, 
but its northwestern part protrudes into the Province of Maine, 

The department of Loiret is in the Province of Orleanais. Its 
northeastern part extends into the Province of Ile-de-France, its 
southeastern part protrudes into tho Province of Berri. 

The department of Cher is in the Province Of Berri. Its eastern 
boundary extends into the Province of Nivernais, its southeastern part 
is in the Province of Bourbannais. 

Industrialization : 

Industry is of second importance, and is almost entirely confined to a 
few centers, of which Bourges, Orleans and Vierzon are the most important 
The essentially agricultural nature of the area is borne out, moreover, 
by the considerable number of plants manufacturing agricultural machinery 
or chemical fertilizers. Since the war a number of works have been 
evacuated to the region, or have taken over existing establishments, but 
this small movement has not to any great extent changed the general 
characteristics of the industrial activity in the region. Vierzon'is a 
center for the production of agricultural machinery and implements, and 
there are also two armament works of some importance'in the town. 

Bourges has an important aircraft factory, which has, however, been con¬ 
siderably damaged by aerial bombardment. There is an important ^tate 
armament works in the town and some engineering establishments only of 
secondary significance. 

The most important aspect of the engineering industry in the region is 
the production of agricultural machinery, the chief center being the 
Vierzon district in the department of Cher. The Societe Francaise de 
Materiel Agricole at Vierzon is the most important firm undertaking the 
work. The chief products normally included threshing and pressing equip 
ment ior agricultural uses, tractors, steam engines, gas engines, gas 
producers and machinery for saw mills. 

The heavy engineering firms in the region are located chiefly in the 
Bourges, Vierzon, and Orleans districts. 













57 


(Orleans) 


Agriculture : 

Orleans.is a characteristically agricultural region, which’ the river 
Loixe divides into two plateau* To the South is the Sologne plateau, 
to the North, the Beauce and the Gatinais. Cutting through both, the 
wide fertile valley oft he Loire. 

The most important single feature, from the point of view of food pro¬ 
duction, is the Beauce plateau, or as it is frequently called "The 
granary of France," This riverless and treeless, but fertile, plain 
^includes large areas of the departments of Eure-et-Loir and Loir-et- 
Cher, and also parts of Loiret, The Beauce is one of the most out¬ 
standing wheat and oats producing regions in the whole country and 
dominates the region agriculturally. 

Some 50$ of the total working population is engaged in agriculture, 
which means that nearly 300,000 out of the total population of 1,1 
million were, before the war, working in seme variety of farming. 

(Farms are sma 11).. 

Cereals: 

The vast plains of Beauce are amongst the richest cereal-growing 
regions in the'country. Over 8$ of France's wheat came from Orleans 
before the war, 40$ of the gross crop, which exceeded 600,000. tons, 
being produced in Eure-et-Loire, Hard wheat, which is important for 

its use in making "pates alimentaires," is grown with some success in 
the Sologne. Wheat generally is grown throughout all departments. 

Only a small quantity of rye is produced, chiefly in the department of 
Loiret. Oats are grown in the Beauce, as well as on the better-drained 
area of rhe Sologne, (For barley see processing industries). 

Potatoes: 


Although formerly the gross potato crop was not large, representing 3$ 
of the French total, it had a particular importance. The s eed potatoes 
of Orleans have an international reputation, and from Loiret and'Eur- 
et-Loir seed was supplied not only to the greater part of France, but 
also to foreign countries. Vierzon (Cher) was also a notable seed¬ 
growing center. 

Livestock : 

Although the areas under meadows and pasture in each department are small 
they provide rich grazing grounds, and the livestock reared in the 
Orleans region is known to be of good quality. The general standard has 
been considerably raised by the improvement of local fodder crops and 
the careful selection of herds. 

Some 5.5$ ofthe total French stock of horses and mules are in this 
region. The most notable breed is the FERCHERON. 






(Orleans) 


- 53 - 

Some 500,000 cattle, mainly of Norman Stock, were formerly in this 
region, a third of that number being in the department of Cher alone. 

The sheep of the Orleans region, numbering same 7$ of France's stock, 
are reared primarily for their wool. The chief breeds are the Ile-de- 
France, the Berrichon-du-Cher, and the Solognot, 

Pigs and goats are found in moderate mimbers in each department. Egg 
production was large, the value of poultry was high, while geese were 
also most important. 

Food Consumption: 

The Orleans region was formerly self-sufficient in essential foodstuffs. 
There were substantial surpluses of wheat, potatoes, sugar and milk and 
a sufficiency of meat and wine. Only in fats was there a deficiency, 

Tho region was well able to feed its own population and have a sub¬ 
stantial balance which was sold to Paris and industrial towns further 
north. 

It has been estimated that the wheat surplus may amount to over 200,000 
tons, potatoes to 30,000 tons, sugar to some 20,000 tons and milk to 
some 10,000 tons, so that it cannot be doubted that in some capacity at 
least, the Orleans region contributes substantially to feeding the 
capital city. 

All in all, it may be assumed that nutritionally the Orleans Region is 
in an advantageous position as compared with regions which are more 
characteristically urban than agricultural. 

Food Industries: 


Inis essentially agricultural area has a varied food-processing in¬ 
dustry, which is carried on mainly in fairly small establishments. 

Crain Milling: 


As considerable quantities of wheat are grown, many flour mills are 
established in the region. Most of these are small, though there are 

about 100 with a capacity of over 5 m. tons daily (in grain). 


The largest mills in'the region are situated at Chartres, Coudray and 

.f? lI L! EUre "’ Gt 7 Loir) > Blois and Saint-Aignan (Loir-et-Cher) and Orleans 
and Triqueres (Loiret). 


Sugar Industry: 


Sugar beet production is important, 
produced 7$ of France's gross crop 
from Loiret alone. 


Eure-et-Loir and Loiret formerly 
and of that total over 80$ came 











(Orleans) 


- 59 - 

Tv/o important sugar factories, the Sucrerie de Tourv et Usines 

Annexes S.A. and the S. A. Sucrerie de Pithiviers-le-Vieil, are 

in (dopt * Eure-et-Lcir) and in Pithiviers (dent, of 

respectlV0ly * In addition there are 16 beet alcohol dis¬ 
tilleries of some significance in the region, 

Fruit, Vegetables and Canning : 

Frui*s and vegetables are grown throughout the-region. Orchards and 
T oiT.p ne % are numerous along the river valleys, notably that of the 
^ rc * Tbe P rod uct3 of the Loir-et-Cher and the Loiret have an es- 
peciaiiy high quality by reason of the excellent soil in their de- 
partments. Peas, beans and tomatoes serve to feed the canning in- 
°Cc.ted mainl;/ in the Loir-et-Cher. A canning product of 

™ ™ ^ 1£Lg inportance is the asparagus of Romorantin and Vendome. 

The mushrooms of Bourre are another delicacy. 

Orieans is the biggest center of market gardening in the region, and 

S lf 0Urbs are lar ge seedgrowing and distributing denote. The 
ciy o Orleans > is also an important center for the canning industry 
undertaxing fruit, vegetable, and meat canning. There are also a 
nun er of canning factories in the department of Loi^-et-Cher. The 
canned mushrooms of Bourre in Loir-et-Cher as manufactured by the fiim 
milliard et Mesure in Bourre, are a local specialty. 

Vegetable Oil Extraction: 

and*?,.™ 8 ™! ,n . in the ?®pt. of Loiret, and hemp and flax in the Cher 
andEure-et-Lmr departments. In line with the general agricultural 

nrnhahv 011 ?™ 3 ^ ; )y . tho J> ' ;nch > tilG acreage under oilseeds has been 
probably extended m the region. 

A snarl quantity of high-quality oil is extracted from the chestnuts 
Ue^t/of Cher° Utl1 ^ ^ 303 pr00essed at and Viorzon 

Dairy Industry; 

than »d!n d h WS r e ’ “ tho average,satisfactory. Production was more 
nan adequate for Orleans, and more than a quarter of the cress outnut 
was formerly exported to Paris. 5 output 

Butter, which totalled approximately of the French output, was made 
at many o± the smaller farms and exported. Among the many cheese 
centers were Aix-Saint-Benoit (loiret), Thenay, Vendor® (Loir-et-Cher) 
Gorval2 > nsar Blois, whence came the delicious CRSME-ST.- 

UiLK VA-Lo . 









6o 


(Orleans) 


Wine Industry: 

The wine output of the region is not exceptionally high, but the 
quality is good. The chief vine-growing regions are the sunny 
fertile slopes ofthe Loire in the Saneerre district (Cher), and 
the valleys of the Loire, the Eure and the Cisse. Other districts 
are Blesois and Vendomois, 

The Cher is noted especially for its fine red wines, and the Sologne 
for its white vintages. In general the most celebrated wines are 
the "Vins Mousseux n of Orleans, and from the Loiret, in particular, 
come the wines of Saint-Jean-de-Braye, Saint-Ay and Beaugency. The 
chief marketing centers for the whole region are Orleans and Blois. 
Liqueurs are made at Saint -Amend. 

Breweries: 

Barley is grown in all departments, most widely in Eure-et-Loir. 

Many breweries are scattered through the region, utilising much of 
the rich barley crop. 













The Clermont-Ferrand Region 


Departments: Allier 

Puy-de-Dome 
Cental, Haute-Loire 

Allier is in the province of Bourbonnais, Puy-de-Dome and Cantal in 
one province of Auvergne and Haute-Loire is partly in Auvergne, and 
partly in the province of Languedoc. 

Industrialization: 

The industry of the region is both specialized and localized. The 
rubber (•) production in particular is outstanding, as both the 
Michelin factory at Clermont-Ferrand (dept, of Puy-de-Dome) and the 
Dunlap factory at Montlucon (dept, of Allier) come within the area. 

Metallurgy and engineering'is of less significance, for, although the 
region has some coal mines, no iron ore or other mineral deposits 
are present. There are, nevertheless, steel works of regional 
significance at Commentry (dept, of Allier) and Montlucon (Allier), 
and particular mention should be made of the works of "Aubert et Duval” 

at Les Ancizes (Puy-de-Dome dept.), which produces specially hardened 
steel. ‘ " 

Clermont-Ferrand is an engineering center of some significance, and 
Thiers (puy-de-Dcme) is a leading French center for the manufacture 
of cutlery, L, Plane Co. in Clermont-Ferrand manufactures factory 
equipment and agricultural machinery, while Manry Freres in the same 
ciuy specializes in the production of boilers and machinery for canning 
factories. ^ Another firm, manufacturing agricultural machinery, is 
"3. A. des Ets * Dorian-Roltzer, Jackson & Cie." in Pont-Salomon in 
the Haute-Loire dept. Many other small firms in the region manufacture 
agricultural machinery and equipment. 

Agriculture: , 

i.he Clermont-Ferrand region, which geographically forms part of the 
Massif Central, is an area of plateau and mountains separated by broad 
fertile valleys. The region as a whole is predominantly agricultural, 
though, on account of the extensive upland areas, arable farming ranks 
second to pastoral farming. 


* Before the war France was one of the most important producers of 
rubber goods in Europe and the sixth largest"consumer of crude 
rubber in uhe world. Some 60,000 tons of crude rubber were imported 
annually, mainly from Indo-China and other French colonies. 










- 62 - 


(Clermont) 


Agriculture: 

The Clermont-Ferrand region, which geographically forms part of the 
Massif Central, is an area of plateau and mountains separated by broad 
fertile valleys. The region as a whole is predominantly agricultural, 
though, on account of the extensive upland areas, arable farming ranks 
second to pastoral farming. 

Nevertheless, considerable quantities of wheat and potatoes are grown, 
and the region can go far in supplying its essential food requirements. 
Over 50$ of the working population of the region is engaged in agri¬ 
culture, Agriculture is not of a high standard. Mechanization and 
fertilizer usage are limited. Nitrates and potash are used very little, 
and phosphates to an average extent only in the Allier and Cantal de¬ 
partments. 

* 

Although crop production is neither rich or varied, in pre-war days ' 
output of the chief foodstuffs was more than adequate for the region, 
and quantities of wheat and potatoes were exported to other parts of 
France, 

Ccreals-Wheat: 

Wheat production amounted to less than 3$ of the total national crop, 
and of the 240,000 tons harvested annually over half was gathered from 
the fertile lowlands of the Allier. 

Rye; 

Nearly 53$ of the French rye crop was gathered from this region. 

Barley and Oats; 

Barley and oats crops amounting formerly to 75,000 tons and 157,000 
tons respectively, represented 7$ and 3$ of the total French harvests. 

Potatoes: 


Potatoes are quantitatively the greatest crop of the region. In pre- 

p a L ye ! r ?v the harVGst anount ed to over 900,000 tons and represented 
o.5/ 0 of the country's gross output. 

Livestock; 

ana breecUn S. Purposes, play an importan 
of th sillTl ? T ° f the reeion ' Cattle represents nearly 7. 5% 
SO rioh^n natnr ? ? and nuIlbers 0TCr 1,000,000 heads. This'region 

centers (dept, o? Cental)!’ ^ 0138364 aaong * ran0e ’ s bi SS est 
















(Clemont) 



-Although, de o 2 ilea information regarding pre-v, r ar and current consump- 
rion is lacking, it is known that formerly the Clermont-Ferrand 
region was well supplied with essential foodstuffs, exceDt sugar, of 
which there was 2 gross deficiency of 25,000 tons. It has been 
estimated that before the war the wheat and rye surplus amounted to 
aoout 70,000 tons and that of potatoes over 100,000 tons. Milk 
supplies were adequate, but the surplus was only small. In fate 
the region was slightly deficient. The small butter and pig fat 
surplus necessitated a larger import of vegetable oils. Meat was 
in good supply with an exportable balance of ever 70,000 tons. 

V/ine had to be imported, approximately 150,000 tons annually. 


The current food position is difficult to gauge. Cleimont-Fcrrand 
is the only large city of the region and it appears, that the food 
position was better in the Clermont-Ferrand Region than in the more 
industrialized regions of France, 


Food Industries: 


The^fcod processing, due to the general rather low standard of -;ri- 
culturs, is not developed, and only a small variety of food processing 
plants can be found in this region. 

Grain Milling: 

A large number of small flour mills is scattered throughout the four 
departments, though the greatest concentration is in the Allier Dcnart- 
ment. ^The one large mill in the region is that of Laporte at Bleslo 
(Haute-Loire) with a daily capacity of over 100 tons of wheat. Only 
two other mills have a daily capacity of over 25 tons of wheat. 


Wine Production: 

.Vine production, of limited quantity, and amounting to less than 
70,000 tons annually, was concentrated almost entirely in the Allier 
and Puy-de-Dome Departments. The valley of the Sioule, which produced 
f^i-*. quality vines, was the chief 1 center in the Allier Deuartment, while 
the hillsides of the Limagne district were most prolific. 

Fruit, Vegetables and Canning : 

Although market garden produce is not abundant, the fruit of Allier 
and Puy-de-Dome especially have formed the basis of important fruit 
canning and preserved fruit industries. The apricots", cherries, 
strawberries and'plums grown in the vicinity of Rican (Puy-de-Dome) and 
Cleimont-Ferrand, the real center of the fruit of Auvergne, are famous. 






(Clermont) 



Dairy Industry: 

The number of cattle is high in the region (over 1,000,000), but 
dairy farming is not generally outstanding. Annual milk yield is 
everywhere poor, only in the Allier Department does it slightly exceed 
the low national average of 1700 liters. In the Puy-de-Dome the out¬ 
put fell to as low as S40 liters per cow before the war (annually). 

In spite of this, however, milk output of the region amounted in 1937, 
to over 750,000 tons, nearly 6$ of the French total. The Allier and 
Puy-de-Dome Departments produced 'well over half that amount. 

The Cantal Department is to be noted as an important cheese producing 
center. Cheese production pre-war output of 28,000 tons amounted to 
13$ of the French total, and of that quantity 60$ was made in the Cantal 
Department. The chief brands were SAINT-NECTAERE, CANTAL, BLEU 
D* AUVERGNE and ROQUEFORT, all exports of note. 

Sugar Production: 


The region had only a very small sugar production before the war amount¬ 
ing to less than'4000 tons. The gross deficiency of the region, in 
the amount of 25,000 tons annually (approximately) had to be imported 
from other parts of France. 

Miscellaneous Food Industries: 

A few breweries are to be found in the Allier, Haute-Loire and Puy-de- 
Dome Departments, but they are not large, as in this region wineis the 
beverage normally consumed. 

Medicinal and aromatic herbs are grown and prepared in the Cantal and 
Hau^e-Loire Departments. Small biscuit and chocolate factories are 
scattered through the region and several small vegetable oil refineries 
are in the department of Allier. 
















- 65 - 

The Rouen Region 

Departments: Manche 

Calvados 

Seine-Inferieure 

Orne 

Eure 

The province of Normandy was historically divided in two parts: 

La Haute Normandie including the Eure and Seine-Inferieure Depart¬ 
ments, and La Basse Normandie including the Manche, Calvados and 
Orne Departments. 

Industrialisation: 


There is a great industrial concentration in the Seine Estuary, com¬ 
prising important ship-building, general engineering, mineral-oil re¬ 
fining and chemical industries. Rouen (Seine-Inferieure) is the center 
of an important cotton industry, and Elbeuf (Seine-Inferieure) has a 
significant place in the heavy woolen trade. There is a widespread 
small engineering industry in the department of the Eure. The rest of 
the region is not industrial, though there are certain important in¬ 
dividual plants, such as that of the Soc. Matallurgique de Normandie 
(Schneider controlled), near Caen (Calvados). 

There are no coal deposits in the region, but there are important iron- 
ore deposits in the departments of the Calvados and Orne. The ports 
of the region are conveniently situated for the import of coal from 
Great Britain (South Wal'as) so that in normal times industrial needs 
were easily supplied from this source. Thus, while there is no exten¬ 
sive iron and steel industry, there are two important plants, one at 
Caen and the other at Rouen, and a considerable and varied engineering 
industry has grown up. 

Many of the smaller works specialize in the manufacture of agricultural 
machinery or in the production of household utensils, "Chevalliers 
Freres", with works in the department of the Eure at Verneuil-sur-Avre, 
Breteuil, and Francheville. The firm has foundries and constructional 
workshops, and undertakes general-engineering work of all kinds, one of 
its specialities being the production of worm conveyors for the transport 
of crushed and pulverized material. The "Founderies des Ardennes”, a 
Mezieres firm,^has a branch works at'Pont Audemer” (Eure department). 

It specializes in malleable castings, and manufactures spinning machinery 
and accessories, and components for tractors and other agricultural 
machinery. 

There is a number of chemical factories in the region, concentrated 
mainly in the area of the Seine Estuary (sulphuric acid and super¬ 
phosphates ). 







- 6b - 


(Rousn) 


Agriculture: 

Normandy is renowned for its agriculture, particularly for being the 
oldest and richest dairy-farming region of France. La Haute Normandie 
or Upper Normandy, is a region of high farming, La Basse Normandie, 
or Lower Normandy, is predominantly grassland dairying country. 

Normandy is able to use a high proportion of its area for agriculture, 
more than 70%, compared with 57%> for France as a whole. The proportion 
under grass has been steadily increasing in recent years and in the 
three western departments, the Manche, Calvados, and Orne, two thirds' 
to three quarters of the agricultural area is permanent grass. In the 
eastern departments, the Seine-Infer!sure and Eure, by contrast, two 
thirds of the agricultural land is arable. The arable fanning, however, 
is less advanced and mechanized that that of the more northern depart¬ 
ments, in the Leon and Lille regions. Hie average size of farms is 
above the French average (average in France'- 28 acres per farm). The 
convential rotation of crops is wheat, oats, clover or lucern. The oats, 
and to a large extent the grasses, are grown as fodder for horses, which 
are a‘ prominent feature of the farming in this area. 

Fertilizer consumption is above the average for France. The artificial 
fertilizers have to be imported from other regions, but there are ample 
factories for dealing with the raw materials. 

Cereals: 


The average output of wheat for 
about 6 % of the French total, 
or 7.8 %o of the French total. 


the region, 1936-38, was 460,350m. tons, 
Oats, xcr the same period, 363,800 m. tons, 


A lit ole barley was grown in Lower Normandy, and a little 
Bocage (in the South of the Manche Department), but ha 


buckwheat in 
rdly any rye. 


Livestock: 


? 670 °onnUf T fc f a p esr k'l 0 * 6 ^ of French total stock numbered 
H ’ ’- J T beUeen 19o6-38.' During the war numbers of cot tic in 

hoover £ft “f SOmeBhat> by 10f ° - 15 ** ^ is almost certain, 

I-i-l ’ % nn ^ ilgh dVera & e pre-war milk yield • in Normandy (2700 

" gallons compared with the French average of 1700 liters or 

r r - f lntained * famous Ifermandy breed S 

? Ur °’l Ut th3re W **** * Norian tossed 
-urn Durham, the latrcr imported from Britain. 

heads^etween^l936-38^ °in r total stock alld numbered 233,500 

farms oro ^ll“! thke £ Apartments, whoro’the 

with horsedrawn implement" "o' ivn.ry ° nd the peasant cultivates 

norse breeders have found during the war a 









(Rouen) 


Aooordi^ +n U +h e M ln SalS ° f horses t0 the German Armed Forces. 
betiveen^W' and w°T" 1 u 41 oensus the total liorse numbers have declined 
tte'nreier ^ 1 V? e . f ° Ur Apartments of the region, compared with 
by 6 |! i - sur ' s > but in tba Calvados department had actually increas 

fsefpsn 3 ^ SS re f reS3nted 3-?7» and % of the French pre-war stock 
toL afS S 3 3 a 51 \ 977 PigS) * - K is e-tlmeted tLt sheep fibers 
SmrtWiv ” 1 f° d V* - 3113 - ri S 0 tove been'reduced 

portant pig-keeping department, the Manche. 

Recapitulation: 

Considered as a whole, Normandy is in peacetime a region of* surplus 

zTizis f rir iauy to the su?pi5 " ° f pabis eni Sv^ ss 3 ’ ■ 

Iheese Infcider 00 “ trles * ^re large surpluses of butter, 

The nni^L ! 5 smaller.surpluses of liquid milk, meat and wheat. 

„ ° nly ^.portant deficiency was in sugar. The high Noman stardard 
of living reflected itself in a high coemption of !ai“™duce 
f.uit ana vogetables substantially above the French national average. 

It is perhaps, significant that no complaints or urban food shortases 
have cone from Normandy during the present war. e..ort Jo cs 

Grain Milling; 


n? a th s °°r t: T + illS ars soa ttered through ail the departments and most 
f the market towns of Normandy. The number of flour mills in the de¬ 
partment of Calvados, Manche and Orne, with a capacity of wheat over 5 
.ons per 24 hours, was estimated before the war at 81", Two flou- nip - 

“r 24 W s ! S ° ine - InferieUre) had 3 ° 3pa3lt >' of ov!r l 6 o t!L 



airy Industry: 


Chief among Normandy’s food industries is the manufacture of butter and 
cheese. a comparatively mall proportion of output is sold on tho 

t^4-H? P -!— the EUr V Cd ®®iae-Inferieure departments, whic 
serve tne cues of ho Havre and Rouen. By far the gr&'.ter part »ces to 

e r and cheese factories. In the Llanche Department nearly 4/5 
all "to butter!* 1 ^ ° UtpU1; S °° S to the & mufacturars, in this case almost 

C=tM tG fb^ a . reput3t i ou fcr quality, standing second only to 

Cuorcnto on the Pans market. Before World War I, there was a regular 

export ot butter from Cherbourg and I* Havre to England, but after°1918 
uhe traae vras never recaptured. 








- 68 - 


(Rouen) 


Normandy is perhaps most famous for its cheeses, which include 
LIVAR0T-P0NT-LEVEQ,UE, PORT SALOT - DEMI-SEL, - PETIT SUISSE, - 
BONDON-GOURNAY, - MIGNOT, - and, above all, CAMEMBERT. 

Camembert, which now has an international reputation, is said to 
have been first made by the widow Harel (Harol) in 1791 in the village 
of Camembert, near Vimoutiers. Its high quality is preserved by the 
vigilance of the Association of Camembert Cheese makers, and before 
the present war a significant export to Britain was being developed. 

In the region of Normandy, there were in 1938 altogether 83 butter aid 
109 cheese factories, excluding the many fa ms which made butter and 
cheese on their own premises. 

Manufacture of Cidor: 


The other leading industry of the region is the manufacture of cider. 
In recent years, however, the Brittany cider industry has grown in 
importance and Normandy T s share is now less than one quarter of the 
French total. Nearly every farm has a few cider apple trees and a 
simple cider press. The crop fluctuates enormously from year to year. 

S^ nCh toi:a;L out P ut of cider apples being sometimes as low as 
<iou,000 tons and sometimes as high as 6,000,000 tons. 


Tnere were in 1938 two hundred and twenty factories in Normandy, be¬ 
sides presses on every farm. 


70 S + eS QO Sr S d ? ? ider ’ known as ? ,Jre juice, has an alcohol content of 
7° to 9°, but is rarely purchasable. 

®be ordinary commercial product consists of pure juice with a large 
...Adfd’! derived from the re-pressing of apples residues to which 

averages oSf 4 60 ^ ^ added - ^ alcoho1 00ntent of this ^ink 
, S . , 0 l f R® • There xs a small manufacture of champagne cider- 

p”ted^ Hna°Sv tb° fOT A th ? process has bee^ly c^m- 

exnort *rvp n-ia developed before the war the manufacture and 

cider^simply^by ** ° 0 °“ **> 

Alcohol Distilleries: 

ajtf.T' '“t *" 

SistsExclusively^ distilled rld 1™°— li(iuei ^»Calvados, which Tol¬ 
as long as 50 years ' The wn-^ P f le - U1Ce and which may be matured for 
Fecamp. There are‘some ™® DIGT INE" was distilled at 

gram, chiefly from imported riceTmaY” al °° h01 


I f 






- 69 - 


(Rouen) 


Sugar Industry: 


Sugar beet is grown only in the Seine-Inferieure, the Eure and a little 
^ ri 4 .^ a ^ Va ^ 0s# There are some sugar factories to deal with the beet, 
buu not enough sugar was produced for local consumption and substantial 
quantities had been imported from other parts of France before the war. 

* 

Fishing Industry: 

Fishing has never been of great importance in this region. All the 
Normandy,ports between them contributed only 15^ of France’s total catch, 
ine chief fishing ports are Fecamp and Dieppe. Fecamp has a Newfoundland 
fishing fleet, but most of the rest of the fishing is done in the North 
Sea, the catch being chiefly herring and mackerel. Near the coast, par¬ 
ticularly of the Marche, shell fish are abundant, and there is an export 
to Paris of lobsters, crabs, cockles and mussels. Dieppe and Courseulles 
have oyster beds. Since the German occupation, Normandy’s fishing 
business is believed to have virtually closed down. A few small fish 
canneries are located in the vicinity of Rouen. 

Fruits. Market Gardening and Canning: 

Fruit is grown in the Seine valley and the Pays d’Auge, there being a 
substantial expert to England of cherries, plums and gooseberries, 
chiefly from the port of Honfleur. 

Market gardening lias been developed to supply the Paris market and for 
the export to England of onions,'leeks and early lettuces. The water¬ 
cress beds of-Venles, near Rouen, have a high reputation. 

There are only minor canning establishments in the region, of small 
significance, in comparison with other regions of France. 










- 7 °- 

The Rennes Region ] 

• ■ 1 

Departments: Finistere 

Cotes-du-Nord j 

Ille-e t -Vilaine 

Morbihan 

• t < 

The province of Bretagne includes, besides the above named four de¬ 
partments, the department of Loire-Inferieure, in the Angers region. 

Industrialization: 

There is little industrial activity in the region. There were impor¬ 
tant naval arsenals at Brest and Lorient, but Brest is at present only 
partially active and Lorient has suffered severe damage from aerial 
bombardment. 

There is no concentration of metallurgical industry, though the plant i| 

of the Soc, Metallurgique d T Hennebont et des Dunes at Hennebont (Morbihan) I 
is of more than local significance, and there is a minor metallurgical * 

center at Saint Brieue' (Cotes-du-Hord), The Societe Metallurgique d* 
Hennebont is an important concern controlled by the Cie. des Cirages 
Francais. Production included sheet metal of various kinds, steel in¬ 
gots and blooms, and tinplate for the canning industry. About 2000 men 
were employed in the pre-war period. Since the Armistice activity at 
these works is believed to have been at a low ebb owing to shortage of 
raw materials and fuel, and it is reported that work has ceased completely 
since the spring of 1943. 

% 

The canning of foodstuffs, and more especially of fish, is important in 
the region, and a number of firms specialize in the manufacture of cans, j 
Among these mention should be made of the Concarneau branch of the Nantes 
firm of the Ets. J. J. Carnaud et Forges de Basse Lndre, which employe 
some 300 workers in the season, and produces 150,000 cans daily. Another 
firm is the Boites Metallurgiques d T Arvor, at Quimper, which normally 
employs 160 workers, but which is believed to be at present inactive. 

As is natural in a predominantly agricultural region a number of super¬ 
phosphate and mixed fertilizer factories is to be found. 

One important aspect of the chemical industry in the region is its iodine 
factories. The iodine industry is based on the Kelp (seaweed) which is 
peculiar to the ,T Ria” Structure of the western coast of Brittany, and 
w ich is found in no other part of France. It was stated that, at the 
litm of the Armistice, France had a stock of 35 tons of iodine which was 

surrendered to the Germans, and it was reported that four tons a month 
were to be ceded to Germany. 

















71 ~ (Rennes) 

The region is also noted for the production of Kaolin. The total for the 
region in 1936 was 75,300 tons and the total quantity of Kaolin produced 
m France during the same year was 124,900 tons. 

Agriculture: 

Although Brittany is popularly thought of as a fisherman T s country, 
m fact, quite a small proportion of the population lives by fishing, 
while more than half is engaged in agriculture. 

The peasants of Brittany have always had a high birthrate and a high 
infant mortality rate. The countryside is grossly overcrowded. There 
are too many families in the available agricultural land, and this 
constitutes the principal source of Breton poverty and backwardness. 
Surplus labor seeks employment elsewhere, especially seasonally, in 
Jersey^ for the potato lifting, in the Brie and Beauce country for the 
grain harvest. The real Breton reckons that Brittany ends at a line 
drawn roughly from Chatelandren to Muzillac, east of which lies the 

pays gallot", France, where French, a foreign language is spoken 
(not Breton). 

Farms in Brittany are small, partly because of the pressure of over 
population, partly, in the coastal areas, because of the high value of 
the soil, and partly because so many fishermen run a faim as a part 
time occupation. In Brittany the landlord-tenant system is far more 
widespread than in most other parts of France. 

Two distinct types of agriculture are found in the region. First, the 
mixed farming of the interior, which relies on grain growing, horse 
breeding and butter making. 

Secondly,'there are the market gardening regions in the sheltered river 
estuaries, where intensive cultivation of early vegetables is carried on, 
partly for the r'sris market, and partly, in normal times for export. 

The mild winters and early coming of spring gives the growers the price¬ 
less advantage of being a few weeks earlier than market gardeners else- 


The standards of farming efficiency and the standard of living of the 
Breton population (on farms) are backward by comparison with the rest 
of France. Although the peninsula is so bleak, wet and wind swept, the 

proportion of land in agricultural use is higher than in France as a 
whole, 

Cereals: 


Wheat is the principal crop, occupying about a quarter of the ploughed 
land. The average production for the region between 1936-38 was 503,000 
tons or 6% of the French total crop. Oats came second, barley third, 
while rye is unimportant except in the Morbihan Department. 








Potatoes: 



(Rennes) 


Potatoes are of great significance in the region. Not only is'there a 
concentration of .early potatoes in the more sheltered districts, but 
everywhere there is a large surplus (well over 500,000 tons in all) of 
main-crop varieties which is transported to Paris'and other towns. 
Moreover, Brittany, partly because of its climate, is able to grow 
disease-free strains and hence has an important trade in supplying seed 
potatoes to other parts of France. 


Fodder Crops: 

A considerable'area is devoted to fodder crops, mangels, cabbage, 
fodder carrots, clover and lucerne. Indeed, these make a livestock 
industry possible for a people which cannot'afford to'buy fdeding 
stuffs.' The noimal crop rotation is wheat, potatoes, oats, or wheat, 
mangles, oats. Many variations are found and often when lucerne or 
clover is sown it is left "down" for two or three years. 

Livestock: 

J • ‘ . • • • *' ’ y■ iff .B5, 

Brittany is above all a horse-breeding country. The Breton breed is a 
small, light, but powerful horse prized in former days for.the post and 
for stage coaches, but now employed for light delivery vans. It is not 
suited for heavy agricultural work. Horse breeding is important through¬ 
out the region, but particularly in the Finistere where the horse fairs 
at Le Faou, Chateaulin, Quimper, Carhaix and elsewhere attracts buyers 
from all over France, Each of the Breton departments has a greater 
horse population for its area than any other department in the country. 
The regional total of horses, donkeys and mules numbered 331,000 be¬ 
tween 1936-38, constituting 11# of the French total for the country. 

Pig breeding is of some importance, especially in the Cotes-du-Nord, and 
the Finistere departments. The pigs are fed on skimmed milk, the by¬ 
product of butter making, and on undersized potatoes. There is, however, 
no organized bacon-curing industry. Either the pork is eaten locally, 
or the hams cured on the farms, are sold to the towns. 


Sheep are much less numerous than in most other regions of France. 
General; 

considered as a whole, is Q surplus food-producing area. It 

P ,, substantially more than it consumes of wheat, potatoes, meat, 

of wM,.h L 1 °tt er ’ < Tw h lmportant deficiencies are sugar and edible oil, 

there i» sti]’i a snmf 1POrtS + a M ltS r6 1 uirement s. Even aider war condition 
.rc i., still some exportable surplus of foodstuffs. It is significant 

that no reports of food shortages have come out of Brittany'during the 









- 73 - 


(Rennes) 


Food Industries 


I-,. 3111811 Pockets of extremely fertile soil-and genial 

climate, the hulk of tne country is rough mountain and moorland un¬ 
suitable to food production.- The food processing industries are un- 

ennnJ°?n a ^ nd ° Gly 3 3171211 variety of food processing plants can be 
foond in the region. The only important food industry of the region 
is fish canning. 

Flour Milling; 


Flour milling, though serving only local needs, should be mentioned 
because it is carried on in a surprisingly large number of small mi] Is. 

dap8rtments had in 1938 ss many as 1600 mills, and the Finistere, 
.vitn ooO, had more than any other department in France. 

Fishing and Canning: 

Tne fishing industry is, in normal times, of importance both to 
Brittany and to France. At the many ports of the peninsula 30 percent 

2£ r th ?^ otal ^ repch catch is landed to an average annual value of over 
300 million fr, (pre-war). Three distinct types of fishing may be 
distinguished. First, the deep-sea fishing off the north coast, centered 
on Pampol, whence, before the war, the Iceland fleet sailed every 
spring to the Iceland and Greenland banks. Off the south coast/centered 
on me Ile-de-Groix, whence the tunny fleet sailed down the Bay-de- 
Biscay r o fish tunny below Bordeaux. Of these the former had -already 
oj. or- ohu isr, fallen on dinicult times through the severe competition 
3j ; English, German and Americans with their more modern vessels. 

Since the war it is unlikely that either have been able to onerate at 

all. 

« 

xho second is the sardine fishery of the south coast where, fairlv close 
m snore, big shoals of sardines are found between May and November, 
xhese fishermen are exclusively concerned with the sardine trade. They 
refuse to go after other fish - even for the plentiful early soring 
mackerel - nor, in contrast to the other fishermen, do they run farms 
by of spare time occupation, When there are no sardines they fold 
their arms and sit in cafe’s grumbling. When there is a glut they " 
grumble at the low prices. 

The third fishery is concerned with shell fish, lobsters, crabs, oysters 
mussels and a dozen other kinds. Oyster- beds, both natural and cultivated 
are found all round the Breton coast, the chief cultivated beds being in 
tne large fjords of the Finistcre and the Morbihan. In the Morbihan, 
young oyster^ stock is brought from the rivers Auvray and Trinity and set out 
in beds in the gulf of Morbihan for fattening. Mussels are "cultiv ted” 
in similar fashion in the Vilaine estuary, but the mussels which occur 
naturally along the north coast are in the main consumed locally, being 






(Rennes) 


- lb - 

of too poor quality to be worth sending to Paris. 

Tho fisheries had, in 1937, some 8,300 boats -;nd employed over 36,000 
men directly, besides these engaged in boat building, net makipg and 
other related trades. They pro vide the paw material for the only 
important food industry of the region, Fish Canning . The chief enter¬ 
prise is sardine canning, but tunny, cod fillets, crab and herring 
are also of growing importance. The canneries are not in the main 
large undertakings. Small business is found in nearly every fish¬ 
ing port along the coast, each earner having his own special recipes 
and claiming to turn out a highly individual product. 

, ■ •. . - * 

Since the war inshore fishing for sardines and tunny- has continued on • 
a somewhat reduced scale. Many of the canneries still operato, 
tomato preserve and salt taking the place of olive, oil. 

The Dairy Industry: 


Annual yields of milk are low, ranging from 1100 to- 1500 liters in 
tho four departments. The southwest - the district/ known as 
"Cornauilles" - is the home of a black and white breed of milk cow dis¬ 
tinct from tho black and white Frisian in thqt its milk,has a high 
milk content. This breed is important because nearly two thirds of 
Brittany 1 s milk output is used for butter making (against only 35 % in • 
France'as a whole). The butter is mostly made on farms. Like Welsh 
butter, it is prized by those who are accustomed to, it, but it fetches 
a low price on the Paris market. The establishment of cooperative 
dairies, which might improve the quality of the butter, ,has never 
succeeded in Brittany as it did further south in the, Charcnte. 

Cider Industry: 

Brittany has an important cider industry. During the last two decades, 
it has surpassed Lormandy as the chief cider-growing' region of France. 

In 19^6-38 it accounted for 33 percent of the total French output, the 
chief producing departments being the lie-de-Vila ine-.and the Morbihan, 
and the best quality make being "Foucsnant." Almost every farm has 
ius cider press, while the Finistere han 15, the lie-do-Vila ine 31, 
the m°rbihan-33 and the Cotes-du,-Nord 51 commercial cider making es¬ 
tablishments. The highest grade cider, known as-' "pure, juice" has an 
alcohol content of 7 to 9 percent, but it is rarely on sale. The 

? r ? dUCt 0Gflsiats of sorae pure juice together with a 
”j'f ture derived from- tho repressing of the apples residues to whic: 

water and sugar have been added. 

9 










- 75 


(Rennes) 


Market Gardening and Canning: 

Market gardening, though occupying a small acreage, provides an 
important part of Brittany f s farm income. The most famous district 
is that around Roscoff and'Saint-Pol-de-Leon where, besides the well 
known Roscoff cauliflowers, artichokes and onions are also among the 
principal crops. Early potatoes, almost a market garden product, are 
cultivated on the Lezardrieux and Pont-l f Abbe T peninsulas. Strawberries 
are important in the Plougastel-Daoulas district. The market gardening 
industry suffered acutely, and reduced its acreage substantially, dur¬ 
ing the economic depression of the early lQISO^s, partly on account of 
low prices and partly because the introduction of import duties by 
Britain closed the Breton T s principal export market. A number of 
small canning establishments, especially in the department of Pinistere, 
specializes in the canning of various vegetables. 






- 76 - 

The Angers Region 


Departments: Loire-Inferieure 

Mayenne 

Sarthe 

Maine-et-Loire 
Indre-et-Loire 

The Mayenne and Sarthe departments are in the province of Maine, with 
exception of their southernmost parts. Their southern parts and-the 
department of Maine-et-Loire are in the province of Anjou.' The south¬ 
western part of the department of Mains?—et-Lo ire is in the province of 
Touraine. The department of Indre-et-Loire. is in the province of 

Touraine. • The department of the Loire-Inferieure is in the province 
of Bretagne. 

Industrialization: 


Although the region is primarily agricultural, there are nevertheless 
some industrial centers of more than local significance. Chief among 
these is the important industrial concentration of the Loire-Estuary 
(department of Loire-Inferieure), with the shipbuilding and aircraft 
industries of Nantes and Saint-Nazaire. The Penhoet shipyard in St, 
Nazaire, is famous for having built, among other liners, the Normandie 
(severe damage of the St. Nazaire was sustained by aerial bombardment 
in 1943). 

The metallurgical industry of t he region is concentrated mainly in the 
area of the Loire Estuary. There are subsidiary centers of La Mans 
and Tours, The region has certain deposits of iron ore, but all the 
necessary coal was imported through Nantes from Great Britain, Poland 
and Germany, 

At La Basse-Indre, to the west of Nantes, the Ets. J, I. Carnaud et 
Forges de Basse-Indr e had a plant equipped for the production of open 
hearth and electric steel and various finished and semi-finished 
products. In this works the annual capacity for steel is stated to 
be 100;000 tons. Its main production was steel castings, steel 
alloys, sheet metal, and TINPLATE for the sardine canning industry. It 
is stated that in spring and summer just under a million cans a day were 
made by this works, and in winter 200,000 cans. The present state of 
the activities of this plant is not known, but it must be assumed that 
it is suffering from shortage of raw materials. 

A considerable amount of general engineering was carried on in the 
region, the main centers being Nantes, Le Mans, and Tours, though small 
engineering works, particularly those specializing in the manufacture 
of AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY and instruments, are to be found throughout 
the region. 
















- 77 - 


(Angers) 


Donges in the Loire-Inferieure is an important oil port, situated 
on the North bank of the Loire to the east of Saint-Nazaire, There 
are two mineral oil refineries here, that of the PECHELBROEN-OUEST, 
and a smaller one, that of the Consummateurs de Petrole, which is 
situated alongside it. At these refineries the East Texas type of 
crude oil is normally processed, though, owing to the absence of 
crude petroleum, they are not in operation now. 

There is an important leather industry in the region, and tanneries 
and shoe factories are to be found in each of the five departments. 

These are two Kuhlmann factories in the Nantes district at Chantenay 
and at Paimbocuf. The Chantenay plant employed about 200 workers be¬ 
fore the war, and manufactured sulphuric acid, superphosphates, ferti¬ 
lizers, animal black, and glue. 

There is a small textile industry in the Angers region. At Angers, the 
Etablissements Bessonneau has two factories specializing in the manu¬ 
facture of jute and hemp. The firm manufactures sail cloth and tar¬ 
paulin, jute sacks, waterproof canvas, rope and sacking of all types. 

It is, in fact, the "Saint Freres" of Western France. One significant 
fact about the textile industry of the region as a whole is its 
specialization in hemp and flax. Small quantities of these are grown 
locally, so that the industry will not be entirely without raw 
materials. 

Agriculture: 

The Angers Region is predominantly agricultural. It is a transition 
zone between the north of France, where agriculture is intensive and 
the crop yields are high, and southern France, where there is less 
arable land and crop yields are low. It is a region of mixed farming, 
with arable land, market gardens, cattle meadows, and with vineyards 
on the south-facing slopes.' 

The farms of the Angers region are mostly between 10 and 50 hectares 
(25-125 acres) in size, the number of larger farms being well below the 
French average. The absence of large farms means that the agriculture 
of the region is not mechanized. Almost all the fertilizers have to 
be imported from outside the region. The labor force consists over¬ 
whelmingly of permanent labor as might be expected in such a region of 
mixed fanning. 

Cereals: 

• * 

The region contains 8% of France’s arable land, but only 6% of it is 
grass. It is a region in which by far the greater part of the land 
is under the plough and this applies particularly to the Maine-et-Loire. 









(Angers) 


- 7S - 

Indre-et-Loire and Loire-Inferieure. About a quarter of the ploughed 

land is under wheat in each of the five departments. Yields are above 
the French average in the Mayenne and Sarthe departments, but below in 
the rest of the region. About 8$ of the total French wheat crop 
(607,000 m. tons) was produced between 1936-38 in the Angers region. 

Rye is grown on an insignificant scale and barley is only important in 
the Mayenne and part of the Sarthe. 

Oats are grown everywhere, but particularly in the Indre-et-Loire• 

Except in this department, where there is a surplus, the oats crop 
just covers the needs of the local horses and cattle. The best yields 
of oats are obtained in the Sarthe, The cultivation of other cereals 
is of importance only in the Loire Inferieure, where a large acreage of 
buck-wheat is found. 

Potatoes: ' 

There is a considerable cultivation .of potatoes throughout the region, 
though the yields, except in the Mayenne, compare unfavorably with the 
French average. From the lower reaches of the Loire there is an im¬ 
portant export of early potatoes to the Paris market. 

Livestock: 

The region has'a substantial number of horses and cattle, a moderate 
number of pigs and very few sheep. .There were 298,000 horses in the 
region, constituting 10$ of the French total stock of horses between 
1936-1938. 

The number of cattle in the region was 1,422,000 heads, about 9 Jo of the 
French total stock between 1936-1938. 

The region is the home of the important French breed of c attle known 
as the Maine-Anjou, which is widely found throughout YiTestern France. 

The Maine-Anjou, although originally the result of a cross between the 
English Durham and the local Angevin breed, has been bred more in 
France for milk than for beef production. 

Recent reports suggest that the war time changes in livestock, es¬ 
pecially in regard to cattle and horses, were insignificant. It should 
be noted, however, that the foot and mouth disease (always present in 
France to some measure) and the tuberculosis (as a result of inadequate 
housing) were always in this regipn somewhat above the French average. 

General: 

The region had in normal times a large surplus of almost all foodstuffs. 
The annual wheat surplus varied from 100,000 m. tons to 200,000 m. tons, 






- 79 - 


(Angers) 


and the potato surplus from 400,000 to 500,000 m, tons. There was a 
small surplus of wine and a considerable one of cider. The region ex¬ 
ported some 40,000 tons of meat, large quantities of butter and alse 
apples, pears and a variety of vegetables. The region also account^ 
for half the eating-apple output of France, (mainly Sarthe), a fifth §f 
the French pear production one quarter of the French output of straw-? 
berries and mushrooms, • It is unlikely that any significant fraction 
of the population in this region has suffered undernourishment through 
being confined to the official rations. 

Food Industries: 

Considered as a whole, the region is transitional between the high 
fanning standards of northern France and the more primitive standards 
of the south. The food industries of the region, in the main, reflect 
the character of the local agricultural production. 

Grain Milling; 

In 1938 there were 1012 flour mills in the region, most of them of small 
capacity, scattered throughout the area. Of the two mills in the region, 
producing over 24,000 tons of flour a year, the first one was in Nantes 
(Loire-Inferieure), the "Loraisbn Freres, Grands Moulins de la Loire," 
the second one in Saint-Georges, near Le Mans (Sarthe, the Moulins St. 
Georges," ) 

Wine Industry: 

Vines are of importance in the three Loire valley departments, the Indre- 
et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire, and the Loire-Inferieure, The area of vine¬ 
yards, however, has slightly decreased in this region during the years 
preceding the war. Wine making plants are found all down the Loire 
valley, almost all of them of small capacity. There is an important ex¬ 
port of the Loire wines of high Quality, the Vouvray name being best 
known. 

Cider Industry: 

In the two northern departments, the Mayenne and Sarthe, cider orchards 
replaced the vineyards more than half a century ago, and now the districts 
produce between 15$ and 20$ of the total French cider output. There were 
altogether 58 ci;der- factories, most of them located in the Sarthe, 

Mayenne and Loire-Inferieure. Nearly every farm in the cider districts 
has its own press, and makes sufficient cider for its own consumption. 
There were also more than 60 distilleries, most of them using apples as 
their raw material. In the Sarthe and Mayenne, several of them produce 
Calvados and other fruit based liqueurs. 







- 8o - 


(Angers) 


Vegetable Oil Industry: 

Before the war there was some colza cultivation in the Mayenne and in 
the Maine-et-Loire Departments, and this has probably increased sub¬ 
stantially as the result of the recent expansion in the oil seeds acreage. 

The best known oil mill producing oil from linseed and colza is located 
in the Maine-et-Loire Department in the city of Angers and in Villevoque- 
sur-Loire, operating under the name Brunet & Castex. 

Three firms manufacturing nut oil can be found in the .Indre-et-Loire 
Department, two of them in the city of Tours, and one in Vouvray. 

♦ Dair 3 ?~ Industry: 

The milk yield for the region is substantially above the French average, 
and most of the peasants earn a large part of their income from their 
dairy cattle. 

Owing to the absence of large industrial centers comparatively little 
milk is sold for liquid consumption (11of the output compared with 
19,6% in all France), and a large amount is used for butter, most of 
which is made on the farm. The organization of co-operative dairies 
has not spread northwards from the Charente Department, where it is 
such a special feature. 

Since the region normally had a surplus of meat and dairy produce, it 
is likely to be comparatively well supplied now, the peasants retaining, 
in defiance of all regulations, as much as they need for a comparatively 
liberal diet. 

Market Gardening and Canning: 

A wide range of market garden crops is grown in the region. Haricot 
beans and dwarf beans are cultivated throughout the Loire valley. The 
annual output of haricot beans before the war was approximately 6000 
tons, and of French beans some 7000 tons. 

The latter output is very important and the production of French beans 
in this area is only superseded by the Paris and Marseilles Regions. 

The Maine-et-Loire has a large export of cauliflowers and globe arti¬ 
chokes, being second only to Brittany in both these crops. In this 

department, and in the Loire-Inferieure, carrots and onions are widely 
grown. 

There are various canning plants throughout the four departments of the 










81 - 


(Angers) 


region (;;ith exception of the Cayenne department) for the canning 
of fruits and vegetables and other food products. The department of 
the Loire-Inferieure has probably the greatest number of them. 

Sardines are being canned on a large scale in the Loire-Inferieure and 
in the Sarthe department. 'Nantes has a wide range of food factories, 
some occupied with canning of local produce, such as fruits and vege¬ 
tables, and with fish conserves, and some (the three rice mills for 
example) using imported raw materials. 

Fishing; 

Fishing is not of much importance in this region, the only fishing 
ports being Saint-Nazaire, and to a much lesser extent, Nantes. In 
1937 there were altogether 664 fishing boats registered at these two 
ports, and 1766 persons, whose principal occupation was fishing. The 
total catch was just under 3 percent by value of the French output. 





- 82 - 

The Limoges Region 



Departments: Indre 


Creuse 

Haute-Vienne 

Gorreze 

Dordogne 


f 


The department of Indre is in the province of Berry, its south¬ 
western part is in the province of Marche. The northern part of 
the department of Haute-Vienne is in the province.of Marche and its 
southern part in the provinces of Limousin and Saintonge. The 
Dordogne department is in the province of Marche. The Correze de¬ 
partment is in the province of Limousin, 

Industrialization: 

In this non-industrial region with a scattered population the workers 
are employed mainly in small enterprises. In the pre-war period some 
17000 workers were employed in the metallurgical and engineering in¬ 
dustries. The greatest concentrations were in Dordogne and the Haute- 
Vienne, but throughout the region the establishments were small, oy 
far the greatest proportion employing 5 or less workers. 

The production of chemicals is not on a large scale in the region. 

Being primarily an agricultural area, most of the chemical concerns 
manufacture fertilizers, while the presence of oak and chestnut in the 
wooded areas accounts for tho production of tanning extracts. 

The Limousin is one of the chief paper producing areas in France, 
specializing in the production of strawpapers. The region is 
characterized by the large number of small mills, fow of which have 
modern equipment. 

The leather industry is of outstanding importance in the Haute-Vienne, 
where tanning is carried on on a fairly large scale, and Where there 
are important boot and shoe factories, chiefly in Limoges, and glove 
factories, mainly in Saint-Junien. 

There was a small-scale textile industry, which employed some 6000 
workers, centered in the departments of Creuse, Indre and Haute-Vienne. 
The Limoges region has a considerable woolen industry and the larger 
spinning mills are in the city of Limoges. The weaving of wool cen¬ 
tered mainly in the towns of Treignac (Correze) and hubusson (Creuse) 
producing special varieties of cloth. Since the 18th century the 
towns of Aubusson and Felletin (Creuse) have been well known for the 
manufacture of handwoven carpets and tapestries, which have had before 
the war a large market in America, England and other European countries. 
The manufacturing of clothing and accessories formerly employed some 
20,000 workers, but this industry was carried on in the main by small 
groups of workers, or even by single artisans. 



<25 





“ 3^ - (Limoges) 

There was ar important ceramic industry in the Limoges region and its 
most important aspect was the manufacture of porcelain. The department 
of Haute-Yieme alone had in 1926 - 151 establishments engaged in the 
manufacture of porcelain, 22 of which employed more than 100 workers. 

There is a wide variety of wood working industries, as in most regions 
of France, scattered throughout the five departments. 

Agriculture: 

The Limoges region, situated partly on the slopes of the Massif Central, 
and partly in the plain of Aquitaine, is in no way outstanding, either 
physically or agriculturally. It contains stretches of good arable 
land and rich meadows and pastures. The latter lie chiefly on the 
mountain slopes and plateau of the eastern part of the region. The 
principal crops grown are wheat and potatoes, both of which were'formerly 
exported from the region. Rye and tobacco were also cultivated, and 
mules, sheep and pigs figure most prominently among the livestock. 

The average percentage'of the working population in the region engaged 
in agriculture was 60$, rising as high as 72$ in the department of 
Creuse, as against the national average of 35.7$. 

The percentage of holdings, of less than one hectare is lower than in 
France as a whole (26$), except in the department of Indre. In the 
Correze it is as low as 5$. This may be explained by the preponderence 
of sheep faming, necessitating larger holdings, Limoges, owing to 
historical development and to custom, is a region with one of the 
highest proportions of "metayage” (*) tenure in the whole of France. 

The general standard of agriculture does not appear to be high. Mechani¬ 
zation is limited, as is large scale farming. Pre-v/ar yields were no¬ 
where exceptional, and the departments rarely attained even the low 
French average for any crop. 

Cereals: 

The pre-war wheat harvest totalled some 360,000 tons per annum, and this 
crop was the most important in the region as regards quantity, account¬ 
ing for some 4-1/2$ of the national crop. 

The rye harvest, however, although totalling only 116,000 tons, repre¬ 
sented a far greater proportion of the total French rye crop, accounting 
for over 15$ of the French total. 


(*) The "metayage" system, by which the farmer pays for the rent of 
land in kind, the owner furnishing the necessary stock and seed. 










- Qk - 


(Limoges) 


The barley crop is negligible, except in the department Of Indre. 

Of the pre-war regional maize harvest of 23,000 tons, 22,000 tons 
originated in the department of Dordogne. 

Oats, although representing only 3.5$ of France’s gross output, 
normally totalled over 160,000 tons per annum. 

* # ^ 

Potatoes 

Potatoes are the one crop produced in substantial quantities. The 
annual harvest was normally 1.6 million tons, representing 10$ of . 
the French national output. Nearly 25$ of the regional total came 
from the department of Dordogne. 

Tobacco: 

Nearly a quarter of the entire French tobacco crop was cultivated in 
the Limoges region and 7000 tons out of the regional crop of 7700 
tons was harvested in Dordogne. 

Livestock: 

* m ' 

The livestock population of Limoges is numerous, and the quality high, 

as would be expected in a region of good pasture lands. The best 
grazing lands are found in the Champagne district of the Indre depart¬ 
ment, in the northern and eastern part of the Correze on the Millevaches 
plateau and in the Dordogne department. 

The Massif Central is well known for the breeding of mules , which are 
reared especially in the more hilly departments. Horses , of Anglo-Arab 
and Arab blood, are bred primarily for export, in the Correze, Haute- 
Vienne and Creuse, .The Berrichon horse,'reared in. the Indre, is used 
mainly for draught purposes. Mules , too, are widely employed in agri¬ 
culture, Horses from the Haute-Vienne are largely used for "remount 7 ’ 
purposes. 

In pre-war days there wore over a million head of cattle in this region, 
some 7$ of the French;total stock, Limousin being the chief breed. 

Cattle rearing was of great importance in the Haute-Vienne and Creuse, 
where it provided one of the staple pastoral occupations to both de¬ 
partments. Both too, have a considerable "export" trade of cattle, 
supplying draught oxen to Poitou and the Vendee* In Paris, also the 
Limoges region found a ready market for all exportable livestock. 

Sheep.numbering some 950,000 head, were all important to the pastoral 
activity of t he region, and amounted to 9,5$ of the nation’s total. On 

the whole, the.sheep of the Limoges region, are noted particularly for 
their wool. 

















“ ^5 (Limoges) 

Pigs which are good both qualitatively and quantitatively, are reared 
in many parts of the Limoges region. Before the war there were 
nearly 750,000 animals in the region constituting over 10$ of the 
French total, more than a quarter being concentrated in the department 
of Correze. Limousin and the Perigourdin breeds are among the chief 
stocks of the region. 

Goats are scattered through the departments in small numbers. The de¬ 
partment of Indre, is the chief poultry rearing center in the region. 
Here chickens, geese and turkeys are widely bred. Geese and chickens 
were the mainstay of all departments except the Haute-Vienne where 
poultry numbers were small, 

* 

General: 


In pre-war days the Limoges region was self-sufficient in most of the 
staple foods. Sugar and wine were the only commodities showing an 
appreciable deficiency. The balance of wheat and rye for the region 
before the war amounted to some 100,000 tons. 

The pre-war potato surplus was’about 450,000 tons, of meat about 
100,000 tons, of milk about 30,000 tons. The small fat balance of 
5000 tons is now turned to a deficit of about 1500 tons.' Of sugar there 
always has been a gross deficiency, 32,000 tons annually, which now, 
owing to reduced consumption effected by food rationing, has been calcu¬ 
lated at 18,000 tons. In wine there was a net deficiency, which re¬ 
stricted wartime consumption has reduced from the pre-war level of 
nearly 200,000 tons to about 40,000 tons. While the general position 
in the Limoges region has somewhat deteriorated during the war it is 
obviously superior to that of other industrialized regions. On the 
whole, the rural population of the region, are not suffering deprivation, 

« 

Food Industries: 


The Limoges region as a whole is important for the cultivation of fruits 
and vegetables, and a canning industry of some significance was de¬ 
veloped in the pre-war period. The cultivation of cereals was of 
secondary importance so that, although a number of flour, mills of medium 
size, equipped to serve local needs, are to be found, there are no 
modern establishments such as Grand Moulins de Bordeaux in the neighbor¬ 
ing region. The region lies outside the sugar beet growing area, and is 
not within easy access of any port for the import of cane sugar, so that 
there are no sugar factories or refineries. 

Grain Milling: 


A number of flour mills are to be found scattered throughout each depart¬ 
ment, though they are as a general rule small or of medium size. The 






- 06 - (Limoges) 

five largest mills in the region are: 

(1) The Minoterie Cantin at Rouilly (Indre), daily grain 
capacity 40 tons. 

(2) A, Lumeau et Fils at Issoudun (Indre), daily grain 
capacity 35 tons. 

(3) Labertonniers at Argenton (Indre), daily grain capacity 
25-50 tons. 

/ t 

(4) The Ets. J. Mirault (Indre), daily grain capacity 
25-50 tons. 

(5) Lazarche at Chevreix-Cubas (Dordogne) daily grain capacity 
25-50 tons. 

The following table shows mills known to have a capacity of over 5 
tons per day: (1936 census). 


Department 

5-10 tons 

10-25 tons 25-50 tons 

Population of 
Departments 

Correze 

11 

4 

• 

262;000 

Creuse 

9 

8 

— 

201,800 

Dordogne 

24 

10 

1 

387,000 

Indre 

15 

12 

4 

245,600 

Haute-Vienne 

14 

8 

— 

333,600 


Market Gardening and Canning: 


In addition to the usual selection of market garden produce grown 
in ( the riyer valleys, and chiefly in the arrondissement of Drive 
(Correze), cider apples, walnuts and chestnuts, are important products. 
Nuts, of which large quantities are harvested from the forests of 
Dordogne and Haute-Vienne, figured prominently among the exportable 
surpluses of the region. These fruits are 'widely consumed as articles 
of the table diet by the local inhabitants. 

From Drive (Correze department), the biggest market garden center .of 
the Limoges region, primeufs of many varieties, including asparagus, 
peas, peaches and cherries, as well as mushrooms are normally dis¬ 
patched to Paris.. Smaller quantities are also grown in the Dordogne 
and Indre. The truffles of the Perigord (Dordogne) famous for their 
abundance and quality, were formerly an important export. 









- 87 (Limoges) 

Although it is not so important, as the department of Vaucluse in 
the Marseilles region, the chief fruit and vegetable canning area in 
France, the canning industry of the Limoges region is not without 
significance. As is usual throughout the country, the establishments, 
at which the canning is carried on, are mainly small, perigueux in 
particular is an important center for the industry, where the canning 
of fruit, vegetables and neat are carried on, but the activity is 
fairly widespread throughout the departments of DOrdogne and Correze. 
Special mention should be made of luxury products, which include the 
truffles of Perigord particularly noted in the towns of Brive, Objat, 

Tulle, Perigueux and Sarlat, the foie gras of Perigueux and Sarlat, 
and the mushrooms of Perigueux. 

The canning industry gave rise to the development of factories for the 
production of cans, which were set up in Perigueux and Sarlat, though 
it is doubtful whether these were adequate for regional needs. No 
specific'information is available as to the activity of the canning 
industry, but cans are known to have been in very short supply through¬ 
out the country, so that it is unlikely that this region, which more¬ 
over, is not easy of access, has been able to obtain supplies. It is 
improbable too that the sugar has been available for fruit-canning or 
jam manufacture. 

Dairying: 

Dairying does not play a prominent part in the cattle faming of this 
region, although formerly milk production was reasonably high - some 
6.8 million hectoliters, nearly 4,75$ of France’s total liquid milk 
output. The departments of Haute-Vienne and Creuse had the highest 
milk output, together producing over half of the regional total. Milk 
yields were low. Only in the Dordogne did'the annual yield per cow 
exceed the national average of 1700 liters, while in the Correze this figure 
was only 950 liters. 

The manufacture of dairy produce was negligible, butter and cheese amount¬ 
ing to 1.5$ of the gross French production. Only in the Indre did 
butter output, and in the Creuze did cheese production exceed 1500 tons 
annually. 

Wine: 


Just over 3$ of Prance’s wine is produced from this region, 80$ of the 
total of 1.4 million hectoliters being produced in the Dordogne. 

Smaller quantities came from the departments of Indre and Correze. 
Bergerac and its environs were the chief wine centers in the Dordogne, 
and the arrondissement of Brive, in the Correze. Liqueurs are distilled 












88 (Limoges) 

from both locally produced and imported wines, in the departments of 
Haute-Vienne and Dordogne. 

The pre-war deficiency of wine for the region was about 200,000 tons. 
The restricted wartime consumption has reduced this deficiency to about 

40,000 tons annually. 

. * 

Miscellaneous Food Industries: 

There are small biscuit factories in Chateauroux, Le Blanc (Indre) 
and Limoges, and a -small chocolate factory in Limoges. A few breweries 
are to be found, notably in Limoges, but brewing is of very minor im¬ 
portance in this region, ‘where wine is the normal beverage. Honey is 
an important product in the Indre and mustard is manufactured at 
Chateaurohx. In the Sarlat district (Dordogne), and in the department 
of Creuse, the extraction of oil from nuts is carried' on, on a small 
scale • , ‘ • " : 


< 













- 89 - 

The Toulouse Region 


Departments: Lot 

Lot-et-Garonne 
Gers 

Hautes-Pyrenees 
Basses-Pyrenees 
Tarn-et-Garonne 
Haute-Garonne 
Ariege 
Tarn 

ihe departments of Lot, Lot-et—Garonne, Gers and the Hautes-Pyrenees 
are in the province of Guyenne-et-Gascogne. 

The department of the Sasse-Pyrenees is in the province of Bearn. 

ihe departments of Tarn-et-Garonne and Haute-Garonne are partly in 
ihe province of Guyenne-et-Gascogne and partly in the province of 
Languedoc. 

The department of Tam is in the province of Languedoc. 

The department of Ariege is partly in the province of Guyenne-et- 
Gascogne, partly in the province of Foix and partly in the province 
of Languedoc. 

General: 


The Toulouse region is in no way a topographical entity. To the south, 
lies the high folded mountain barrier of the Pyrenees, which separates 
France and Spain. To the northeast is the southwestern dip slope of 
the Massif Central. To the west and northwest stretches the Basin of 
Aquitaine. The dip slopes of both the Pyrenees and the Massif Central 
fall within the area, and a series of plateaux marks their merging into 
the plain. (The Q,uercy and the Albigeois plateaux, the Lauragais 
plateau and the Plateau of Lannemezan), 

The region has two outlets to the sea. In the northwest to Bordeaux 
and the Gironde, via the Garonne Valley, and in the east to Sete via 
the Carcassone gap (the route used by the Canal-du-Midi), In addition, 
the estuary of the Adour river, on which stands the secondard port of 
Bayonne, forms an outlet in the southwest of the region. 

The region as a whole is not densely populated, although during the war 
there has been an influx of population'into the region on a considerable 
scale. The estimated increase of the population from 1936 (census 
figures) to 1944 is from 2,286,100 to 2,610,000.people. The most 

marked increases are to be noted in the departments of Ariege, Haute- 










- 90 - 




(Toulouse) 


Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne and Haute-Pyrenees, The majority of these 

people were'evacuees who came in 1940 from Northeastern France, Holland 
and 3elgium, and to a lesser extent from the Paris area. These refugees 
included about 50,000 from Alsace-Lorraine. A considerable proportion 
of the foreigners have in all probability since returned, together with 
f ;ir numbers of nationals from Alsace-Lorraine, though a greater per¬ 
centage of the French evacuees are thought to have remained. 


Industrialization: 


The immediate pre-war period was marked by a definite policy to extend 
the development of the electro-metallurgical industry of the Pyrenees 
and the southern edge of the Massif Central and, indeed, the establish¬ 
ment of factories in the departments of Ariege and Tarn-et-Garonne was 
rather more rapid than the construction - of hydro-electric power stations 
and barrages destined to feed them. A numoer of plants for the pro¬ 
duction of aluminum, magnesium and light-metal alloys were established 
in the above named departments and, in addition, there are iron and 
steel works of some significance in the region, a considerable armaments 
industry and one works specializing in the production of cast-iron 
piping. 

The Albi-Carmaux coal basin,the department of Tarn f provides about 
1,100,000 tons of coal (1943) annually, representing little over 2Jo of 
the French total pre-war production of coal (46,000,000 tons). 


Experimental drilling for oil in the foothills of the Pyrenees was 
carried out during the last war and during the period 1920-30. Work 
was resumed in 1938 and prospects seemed to be promising when the first 
production of oil and gas was obtained in the Saint-Marcet field near 
Saint-Gaudens in 1939. After the Franco-German Armistice work "was 
interrupted owing to a shortage of skilled labor and materials, but was 
resumed in 1941, since when a number of wells have been drilled around 
Saint-Marcet. 

A few engineering works are scattered throughout the region. The general 
topographical features which make transport difficult in the.region made 
the development of the constructional engineering works impracticable. 

The principal centers of population, such as Toulouse and Tarbes, are 
known to be equipped with a number of engineering shops, and several 
factories in the region specialized in the production of agricultural 
machinery , though the majority were establishments of not more than 
medium size. , 


The boat building'industry of the Toulouse region is confined to Bayonne 
(Basses-Pyrenees), where there are a few firms constructing small craft, 
such as barges and fishing boats, and undertaking repairs. 













There has been a great development of the chemical industry in the 
oulouse region in recent years, as, on account of the abundant 

fjgp• ^n °f r ^ njlin S water in the Pyrenees, and to a lesser extent in the 
Massif Gentrai, hydro-electric power can be cheaply produced, and this 
nas led.to the establishment of a number of plants for the production 
oi calcium carbide and cyanamide. In addition to the above production, 
e manufacture of nitric acid, synthetic ammonia, fertilizers and 
n ^S° S1UI \i S developed in the region. The production of aluminum 

;., + e in ' jhe de P artment of Ariege amounted tp 6000 tons in- 1943, repre- 
c —^m 0 a^out 8/b of the respective production of G-erman occupied Europe. 


a* +_ lndustr y of tile Toulouse region is centered-mainly in the 
departments of Tarn and Ariege. Toulouse itself is an important com¬ 
mercial center for the distribution of hides and skins and also 
possesses a number of factories for tho manufacture of footwear. 


Adequate supplies of pinewood from the Pyrenees which provide the raw 
material for the production of pulp, and the swift running streams 
.‘.nicn serve the double function of providing power for the mills and 
water ior processing, have combined to encourage the development of 
the paper industry of the Toulouse region. 


The region is primarily rural, and in each department the number of 

persons engaged in agriculture and forestry greatly exceeds the number 
of industrial -workers. 

Agriculture: 


lhe Toulouse region is extensive, comprising the western and central 
Pyrenees and the southwest edges of the Massif Central, as well as the 

ricn plain of Limagne and the deep fertile valleys of the Garonne. Lot, 
Tarn and Campan. . ’ * 

The region is.predominantly agricultural, with pastoral farming 
generally taking precedence over crop cultivation, although an Important 
production of maize in the Basses-Pyrenees, and vines in the Gers 
should be noted. 

The size of holdings varies considerably. in the majority of the depart¬ 
ments of the region the number of holdings farmed by the occupiers corres¬ 
ponds to the French average of 60$, although in the Haute-Garrone the 
proportion of land that is owned falls below this figure, and in the 
Hautes-Pyrenees the percentage is as high as 80$. The system of 
"metayage" (*) prevails more in southwestern France than in any other part 
of the country (higher than the 10$ average for France). 


(*) The "metayage” system, by which the farmer pays for the rent of the 
.Land in kind, the owner furnishing the necessary stock and seed. 








- 92 


(Toulouse) 


Although the standards of agriculture is not uniformly high, in the 
valleys, plains and fertile pockets where crop production is concentrated 
produce is of good quality. The number of tractors in the region was 
formerly 3800 representing over 12% of the French total. 

Mechanization was widespread in those departments where the proportion 
of arable land was highest, namely the Haute-Garonne, Gers, Lot-et- 
Garonne, Tarn and Tarn-e t-Ga ronne . (*) * The usage of artificial fer¬ 

tilizers is limited, and the average consumption per hectare on arable, 
market garden and vine producing land is low. Yields are everywhere 
extremely poor. Only in the Basses-Pyrenees and Ariege does the output 
of maize. (2.7 tons per hectare) and potatoes (12.2 tons per hectare) 
exceed the French average of 1,6 and 11.3 tons respectively. 

Toulouse is not, technically, an '’overall" surplus area, and although 
interdepartmental trade is substantial, the region does not export large 
quantities either of food or of manufactured foodstuffs. Even before 
the war Toulouse was never self-sufficient in food supplies. Wheat and 
meat were the only crops of which there were substantial surpluses, 
some 50,000 and 80,000 tons respectively. Potatoes, in spite of a 
relatively high local output, were deficient for local consumption and 
the region had to import some 200,000 tons annually. In sugar and 
wine there were also net deficiencies, over 50,000 tons of sugar and 
some 140,000 tons of wine. Fats were probably adequate, although 
supplies of oil were entirely lacking. The favorable milk balance did 
not exceed 8000 tons. 

Cereals: 

Quantitatively wheat is the outstanding cereal of the region. In pre¬ 
war years the annual average production, which exceeded 500,000 tons, 
represented some 7^° of the total French crop. Wheat is cultivated in 
the plains and in the river valleys of every department but it is the 
Garonne valley that can be termed the most productive single area of 
Toulouse, Output in the Haute-Garonne formerly amounted to about 20% 
of the regional total. In the departments of the Gers, Lot-et-Garonne 
and Tarn production was also high. 


The crop of rye and barley is negligible, that of oats somewhat better 

_ G P re “ war harvest of 200,000 tons representing about 3^% of the total 
French output. • • 


Large quantifies ol maize.are cultivated 
lower mountain slopes of the Pyrenees, 
output is grown in the Toulouse region. 


, mainly on the foothills and 
Altogether 66% of France's maize 


(* ) Some 9% of France 


s gross arable land is in the Toulouse region. 








(Toulouse) 


- 93 - 

Potatoes: 

Before the war potatoes were cultivated in abundance, and the gross crop 
which amounted to some 950,000 tons provided a substantial surplus for 
export. Snail quantities of this product were harvested in every depart¬ 
ment, but from the Ariege and Tarn alone about 50$ of the total was con¬ 
tributed. 

Tobacco: 


Nearly 25$ of France’s tobacco is gathered in the Toulouse region, the 
departments of Lot and Lot-et-Garonne being important centers. 

Livestock: 


This region, owing to extensive pasture lands is rich in livestock, 
chiefly cattle, sheep and pigs. Horses and mules are less numerous 
(140,000) than any other category of livestock in the region. The Massif 
Central and the Pyrenees, particularly the departments of the Basses- 
Pyrenees, and the Ariege, are widely known as important mule breeding 
centers. Mules are used for draught and export, mainly to Spain. Anglo- 
Arab horses, the chief breed of the region, are reared in the Basses- 
Pyrenees, the Haute-Garonne, Tarn and Tarn-et-Garonne, A pure Arab stock 
is bred in the Haute-Garonne. 

Cattle, which number over 1,250,000, amount to nearly 9$ of the French 
total stock (Gascony breed). 

Sheep numbered before the war well over a million and amounted to 11.5$ 
of the French total stock. Chief breeds are the "Races de Pyrenees, 
Ariegeois, the Lacaune and the L-uragnais." 

Pigs, mainly of the Pyreneenals breed, numbered nearly 750,000 and are 
found in every department. Numbers are highest in the Basses-Pyrenees. 
The northern departments of the Toulouse region constitute the most ex¬ 
tensive geese producing areas in France. Poultry production is high due 
to the abundance of maize. 

Current Food Production: 

German food rationing has attempted, by the means of reduced consumption, 
to secure the food position. Because, however, regulations have not been 
rigorously enforced, and because the peasants have evaded much restricted 
control, it is known that deficiencies have not been so effectively cut 
down, or surpluses augmented to the extent calculations might imply. Pro¬ 
ducers retained quantities of their products for illegal purposes, for 
hoarding, sale on the black market and "local" consumption. The follow¬ 
ing figures have attempted to make allowances for these activities. 
Because, however, the quantities involved are naturally not ascertainable 
the calculations should be treated with reserve. 










(Toulouse) 


" 9b - 

It is thought that the balance of wheat may still be substantial. 
Approximately 35,000 tons may be available, that the meat balance 
amounts to 40,000 tons. The deficiency of potatoes around 150/000 
tons, and that of sugar 30,000 tons. Fats are deficient by at least 
8000 tons. The current wine ration, which by the high pre-war standards 
of southern France, is low, is such that the former deficit has been re¬ 
versed. It is thought that a balance of some 70,000 tons may be avail¬ 
able. 

From tnese general indications one is led to conclude that the general 
food position of the Toulouse region is unsatisfactory, though some 
improvement snould be noticeable after the 1944 crops have been 
harvested. ' " 

Food Industries: 


A wide variety of food processing•is carried on in the region and there 

is a considerable number of firms, most of which are small, undertaking 
this type of work. 

> 

Grain Milling: 

The n a jOTity'°f the flourmills in the region are located in the depart- 
'*!'y °f Haute-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne, Gers and Tarn. Throughout the 
region there are only too mills with a daily wheat capacity of over 50 
tons, the majority have a capacity of under 35 tons daily. 

tomnlne 1 ^ ® xtons1vel y manufactured in the region. The districts of 
agne, Toulousain and Albigeois produce hard wheat and conseouently 
the proouction of macaroni is an old established industry. The majority 

Arieee Inflow. a F 1 ° oate<i “ the departments of Tarn, Haute-Garonne, 

sumed in sbuthweshS^ranh.^ 3 ^ 103117 ^ *** maoaroni P roduoed is con- 

Market Gardening. Fruits and Canning: 

tn U the 1 vallevs°of ° f „ the market garden produce which is grown 

+ i + . ... ■' . f t : Lot and uaronne. Here plum trees are widely cul- 

tivated, the dried product, PHQNEAUX D'aGEN, being a particularly 3 /*. 

portant commodity for export. The apricots of HicOie and SnnSs 

trees notr?sh e nTb al ?° Plum > <*»»*«*, apple and peach 

•nnrtn n-t- • * e vicini "ky of Toulouse, where there is also an im 

K5S £°“- — « 










- 95 - 


(Toulouse) 


Gherkins from'the Haute-Garonne and Tarn-et-Garonne are a much cultiva¬ 
ted vegetable, the pickling of-which provides the basis f.o? a canning 
industry. Truffles are gathered in the vicihity of Cahors, Souillac and 
Martel (Dordogne), The greater part of this produce, however, goes to 
Perigueux (Dordogne) for canning, although it is also processed in its 
own department. 

Canning, more especially of luxury products is of some significance in 
the region. The department of Lot is noted for the production of 
truffles. Cahors, Martel and Souillac are the chief centers-under¬ 
taking this type of canning. Some fish canning is undertaken chiefly 
at Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Cibourne. F ATE-DE-FOIE-GRAS is produced at a 
number of centers throughout the region especially in the department of 
Haute-Garonne. » " v .. 

* . = * ’ , k - ‘ , '-i - - ... ; 

Wine' Industry: • • "k • - ” .. ... I 

• - « 

!•' * . - ' - * . r- ^ 

Vines are extensively grown in the valleys end oh the lower mountain 
slopes, particularly'those of Gers and Tarn. Nearly 25$ of the region’s 
total wine production, amounting to 450,000 tons per annum, 8.5$ of 
France’s gross output,- is made frcm grapes harvested in the department, 
of Gers. 

The fertile vineyards of the Tarn department are found* on the flanks 
of the wooded hills as well as in the stony plain. Wine produced here 
is good, the most reputable being that of GAlLLnG. The sweet-water 
grape (CHASSELAS) of Tarn-et-Garonne is a much exported table fruit 
delicacy.. - ' 

The best, wines of the Lot-et-Garonne come from the Clairac and. Buzet 
districts, while Cahors in the - Lot Valley (the most productive area in 
the department) is known for wine, which is much blended both for local 
use and for export. 

The red wines made from the dark grapes reared on the hillsides of the 
Lot are noted for their quality which nearly approaches that of the 
fine Bordeaux-products. In addition to Cahors, Lusech and Fuy 1 ! Eveque 
are important producing centers. From the Hautes-Pyrenees came wines 
of MAD IRAN and PEYRIGUERE, and f ran the Passes-Pyrenees those of 
JTIRANCON, near Pau are best known. Vineyards in the fertile plains of 
the Haute-Garonne produce large cuantities of grapes, although -the. wine 
is of medium quality only. The best known brands are those of 
VILLANDRIC, FRONTON and C FENS. Production in Ariege centers around 
PAMIER3. 

Breweries and Distilleries: 


Breweries are most numerous in the department of R;ute-Garonne. 








- 96 - 


(Toulouse) 


Toulouse is a center of some importance, there are also four br 

in the department of Tarn. ' Only too breweries have an annual ap V 

which attains to between 30,000 and 50,000 he ° ° 1 ^,„ ion There 

be borne in mind .that wine is the common beverage of the ™ ts 

are a number of distilleries in the region, chiefly in the de P , g 

of Hautes-Pyrenees, Haute-Garonne, Basses-Pyrenees an • ' 

produced chiefly in the departments of Gers, Lot and Lot-et-Garonne. 


Dairy Industry: 


Dairy faming is not highly developed. Butter and cheese product ion 
formerly very low, although milk output was reaeonaUargood, the annual 
average of 8,000,000 hectoliters representing over 5.5# of the national 
production. Departments producing the greatest volume o mi w 
hers, Lot-et-Garonne and the Basses-Pyrenees. The annual yield ot iXW 
liters per cow, which prevailed in the Tarn-et-Garonne exceeded that of 
all other departments. Milk was supplied to loca ra e 

national markets, and before the war market centers such as MAZAMET were 
important for distributing supplies to neighboring departments. Co¬ 
operative dairy farming, on a limited scale only, is found in the 
tains, compared with cooperative undertakings in Savoy (Ly ° n ® ' d 

Poitiers, however, the dairying activity of the region must be regar 

as insignificant. 


Chocolate and Biscuits: 


There are a number of firms in the region producing chocolate, oiscuits 
and other confectionery. Firms manufacturing confectionery are most 
numerous in the departments of Basses-Pyhenees and Haute-Garonne. T-e 
chief centers of production are Toulouse, Bayonne, Saint-Jean-Pied-de- 
Port, Tarbes and Albi. At Toulouse there is a factory of some importance 
producing crystallized violets. 


Fishing: 


Fishing was formerly carried oh along the west coast of the Basses- 
Pyrenees, from the Bayenne and Saint-Joan-de-Luz, the two chief ports 
of the region. Annual catches, averaging 7000 tons, were landed by the 
fleet of some 560 ships which totalled approximately 3000 tons (1937). 
Personnel amounting to 2000 were occupied in this work.. Owing to the 
stringent wartime conditions prevailing in the fishing industry it is 
unlikely that catches now amount to anything than a few hundred tons 

annually. 

Some fish canning is undertaken chiefly at Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Cibourne 







• ». 


i . •: v 


- 97 - 

The Bordeaux Region 


Departments: 


Gironde 

Landes 


* “ V 

Both departments are in the province of Guyenne-et-Gascogne. 

:' : 

General: • "w . • 

***.*•*"•»■ 

The Bordeaux region has one great natural resource, the pine forests, 
which cover a large triangle in the department of Landes and the 
southern part of the department of Gironde bounded by the Atlantic 
coast,'the river Adour and the river Garonne. These forests yield a 
timber, valuable mainly for pit props and railway sleepers, and 
resinous products, which have an extensive and various use. There are 
also cork oak forests, which provide -a valuable source of cork. 

The mineral resources of the region are negligiole. 

■ ' . ; . . • ' ; • 

The industrial activity of the region is confined to Bordeaux and its 
immediate district. 

Food production is not important in the region as a whole, which is de¬ 
ficient in most of the essential foodstuffs, - 

Its vineyards, however, are of first importance, and many famous 
vintages come from the lands bordering the Garonne. 

' - * *• ' A . ' € v • 

# . . 

Bordeaux, as a port, is normally a food producing center of seme 
significance. 

The region is not a primary center for the generation 01 electricitry, 
but it is well served by roads and railways, which j.ocus on .no^ 

Industrialization: 

There is no highly developed metallurgical industry in the Bordeaux 
region, as, apart from some lignite deposits, it is entirely^dexicient 
in iron'ore, coal, and other mineral deposits, The .port of Comeaux, 
however, was in normal times a shipbuilding.-center of some importance, 
and until the decentralization scheme of the. spring of 1944, on account 
of air raid damage, it was also the center of a flourishing aircraft 

industry. 

' 1 r ’: ' r: : ■ 

The works of the Etablissement Metallurgique de.la Gironde on the C.uai 
de la Souys at Bordeaux are equipped with rolling ■mills and manufacture 
tinplate and iron and zinc sheets. Normally 700 workers are employed. 
The production of tinplate has stopped owing to lack of tin. The 






(Bordeaux) 


-'98 - 

Bordeaux factory of J. J. Carnaud produces cans for the food industry 
and the Ets. Betts et Blanchard at Floirac manufacture collapsib le 

metal tubes and bottle caps; 180 workers were employed in 194b. 

' * 

The S. A. Francaise Timken, a firm of American origin whose principal 
works in France is at Asnieres (Seine), is reported to have a small 
factory at Bordeaux. Tapered roller bearings are the principal product 
of this firm. There have been no recent reports of activity at the 
Bordeaux works. 

The region is very important in the production of certain chemicals. 

The Bordeaux district is one of the principal areas in the southwest 
of France for the production of sulphuric acid. There is also a,number 
of firms in the Bordeaux district manufacturing fertilizers, insecticides 
and sprays for agricultural uses. These are mostly small concerns. 

The Bordeaux region is of special importance in the production of resinous 
products, on account of the extensive pine forests in the department of 
Landes. The maritime pine furnishes turpentine and resin for the manu¬ 
facture of various products. Tar and charcoal for smelting purposes are 
also obtained from pine wood. Crude turpentine is the oleo-resin yielded 
by certain coniferous trees. "Bordeaux turpentine" is obtained from the 
cluster-pine in the Landes.* 

Although not comparable with Marseille, the Bordeaux region is, neverthe¬ 
less, of some importance for the production of soap. The rosin of the 
Landes has given rise to the preparation of cheap grades of soap, while 
soap manufacture is normally a subsidiary of the vegetable oil-industry 
of Bordeaux. A judicious mixture of the two raw materials has led to 
the production of a fair quality soap at a cheap price. 

The extensive forests of maritime pines in the Bordeaux region yields a 
timber suitable for the production of wood pulp, and, for this reason, a 
number of pulp and paper mills have been established. It is also to be 
noted that the pines provide a valuable source of the rosin which is used 
as a sizing medium in the production of certain grades of paper. 

There are two important mineral oil refineries in the.Gironde estuary, 
but they are inactive since the Armistice. There are also considerable 
oil storage•facilities in the area at Saint-Loubes, Blaye, Furt, Bourg, 
and Bassens. > 

The region is of some significance in the production of leather. There 
are several tanneries, located chiefly in the Bordeaux district, which 
produce industrial and sole leather. 

» • * *' " . . 

There is no.textile industry of any importance in the region. 









(Bordeaux) 


- 99 - 

In normal times Bordeaux was the third most important rubber market in 
France and crude rubber from the French colonies was imported tnrough 
this port. 

The Bordeaux region is one of the principal wine-producing areas in 
France, and in consequence there are a number of glass works manufactur¬ 
ing bottles in the industrial districts of Bordeaux. 

The Bordeaux region, and especially the department of Landes, is one 
of the most forested areas in France and consequently has a wood work¬ 
ing industry of primary importance. 

There are three line and cement works in the region. 

Apart from the important center of Bordeaux, the region, as a whole, is 
sparsely populated, and little industry'is carried on. The normal in 
dustrial labor force is therefore small, and a large proportion of it 
is to be found in the town of Bordeaux and its adjoining suouros. 

Agriculture: 

The tv. r o departments comprising the economic region of Bordeaux, the 
Landes and Gironde, present strong contrasts in their agriculture^ 

Y/hile the Gironde, watered by the Garonne and the Dordogne, is a fertile 
department, rich in vines and market garden produce, the deparrment Ox 
Landes, as it name'indicates, consists mainly of sandy stretcnes thickly 
planted with pines, except in the southern extremity, the CHAL0S3E 
district. 

Towards the end of the 18'century maritime pines, which bind the sand 
together with their roots, were planted in the Landes, ana, indeed, all 
, along the west coast in this vicinity, to prevent the dunes from advanc¬ 
ing east and burying all cultivated and cultivatable land. . Touay, 
therefore, the physical layout of the department of Landes is such That 
a protected "Dune Littorale" runs from north to_south of the department, 
thus preventing the formation of fresh dunes, in the extreme south and 
west, cork oaks have been planted. On the east side of the dunes, 
scores of small lakes are separated from the sea by the heaping up of 
sand. Generally, however, the salt water has escaped and the lakes are 
now filled with fresh water. The Basin of Arcachon in the Gironde, 
however, still communicates with the sea. 

The unproductive sandy stretches, the "landes," also cover about one 
third of the Gironde. Here, as in the Landes, interconnecting laxes 
fringe the dunes, communicating not only with each other but also .Mth 
the Arcachon basin. The basin which is notable for the many islands 
it contains, forms a vast shallow lagoon on the land side, much of which 
has drained' and converted into arable land. 








- ioo- 


(Bordeaux) 


The comparative poorness of soil in the Landes is counterbalanced ... 

by the fertility of La Chalosse. This district, which lies scuthof . 
the Adour, is a fruitful hilly region, cut by tributaries of the ma 
river, rising in the Pyrenees. Saint-Sever, on the Adour, is <=n - 

portant center of the locality. 

Like the foregoing, the department of Gironde, which takes its name 

from the estuary formed by the rivers Garonne and Dordogne, can 1 

divided into two parts, for agricultural purposes. On the west the 

"landes” stretch from'north to sohth, but inland, on the ^as e > 

are fertile districts, productive, but limited in area. 

* 

There is a high proportion of forested land in both these departments. 
Over 40$ of the total area in the GirondO, nearly 70$ of that of the 
Landes, figures which jointly represent 10$ of all France s fores s. _ 

Of the population; numbering just over 1,000,000, some 203,000 P e0 P^ 
are engaged in agriculture, 36?.;of the total working population in the 
Gironde, and over 60$ of those' in the Landes. 

Land holdings in the Gironde are small, 86$ of all farms being under 
10 hectares and half of that number being under 1 hectare. In the 
Landes, on the other hand, nearly 50$ of all holdings are often to 

fifty*hectares, and only 45$ under ten hectares. 

« • ’ : i • * ..•••••■■ . ' ' — 

"Metayage” '(*) is high, representing 20$ of all holdings in the ^ . ; 

Gironde, and nearly three quarters in the Landes. 

* ' ' < ... . 

Mechanization is limited, with few large scale, up-to-date farms. 


Fertilizer.usage was formerly low, though considerable quantities of 
potash were employed in the Gironde. 

Owing mainly to the light sandy soils yields were low, everywhere less 
than the low national average of France. 

Cereals: 

i ' ' ‘ ' ' 

Arable land, representing less than 1.5$ of the French total, is 12$ 
of the total area of the Gironde, against 18$ in the Landes. Cereals 
are not cultivated in substantial cuanti ies in either department, 
only wheat, maize and rye are grown in any appreciable amounts, and. 
the greater proportion of these are harvested in the Chalosse district. 


(*) The "metayage” system, by which the. farmer pays the rent of land in 
kind, the owner furnishing the necessary stock bnd seed. 


' i < 






- 101- 


(Bordeaux) 


Wheat is moderately important throughout the'Gironde, where in many 
places it is -grown, between the rows of vines, notably in the Blaye and 
Libourne. districts. This, crop is also raised in parts of Bazadais, 
and in the Bas-Medoc. ■ Maize, the only really flourishing crop repr^n s 
16$ of ,the French output. Some 85$ of this harvest was formerly gat er^ 
in the Landes, which is one of the three biggest maize producing depart¬ 
ments in tl^e.;whole country. 

.V vvm J fy ; -I . ' .. 

Potatoes: .- 


A fair quantity of potatoes is harvested in the Gironde, but little in 
the Landes. The yield does not exceed the French average, although the 
sandy soil east of the dunes has, on the whole, proved satisfactory for 
production. 


Livestock: - 

The rearing of livestock does not figure prominently in the rural economy 
of the Bordeaux region, as the Landes in particular offers only^limited 
facilities for fodder growing and cattle grazing. A few hundrea thousand 
.horses of the Landes breed and '»Variete Medocaire" of cross bred Anglo- 
Noma"n stock, are found chiefly in the south and southeast parts of the 
region. * Cattle, amounting to nearly 2$ of the French total stock, num er 
some 290,000. The BAZADAIS breed of oxen and BORDELAIS milch cows are 
also bred in the region. The all-in current livestock position is 
little better than that prevailing throughout the country .as.&~vfflo±P.« 

The output of farmyard produce is considerable. Saint-Sever is a parti 
cularly. important breeding center, not only for ducks and chickens, out 

-also for geese. 


.' 071 : 


General: 


Information regarding the current food position in the' Bordeaux region 
is not available. Little reference is made in current reports to 
specific shortages in Bordeaux, or to particular departments being ear¬ 
marked for the purpose of supplying Bordeaux with certain loodstufis,,as 

is done in the case of Paris. •• 

It-has been calculated that in pre-war. 'days this region was deficient 
in every staple food except wine, and. probably milk, oorae 125,000 to 
of wheat and rye were imported annually ( v .), approximately the same 
quantity of potatoes, some 25,000 tons of sugar, and about 10,000 tons 
of meat! There was also a net deficiency in fats. The wine surplus 
was reckoned at 200,000 tons. It is trup that war-tine rationing has 


(*) 50,000 tons of wheat and 25,000 tons of rye were produced annually 

in the region between 19o6 - 1938, 












102 


(Bordeaux) 


restricted consumption, and therefore theoretically mitigated de¬ 
ficiencies. Taking, however, all available facts into consideration, it 
is estimated that the food position in Bordeaux is definitely unsatis¬ 
factory. Fats, the ration of which is rarely honored anywhere in France 
are here totally deficient. At present scales of consumption, as near 
at it'can be gaged, wheat and rye are deficient by 80,000 tons, potatoes 
by 90,000 tons, sugar by 14,000‘tons, and meat by 8,000 tons® Milk and 
milk products, if not deficient, are likely to be limited in quantity. 
Only in wine does the balance approach the pre-war surplus level. 




Food Industries: -j 

It is important to remember that although Bordeaux is not an outstand¬ 
ing region from, the productive point of view, it possesses an exceedingly 
well-placed and well-equipped commercial port. Formerly, many food¬ 
stuffs, such as sugar from the Antilles and ground nuts and palm ker¬ 
nels from Senegal, were imported for processing in this flourishing 
center. 


In addition to the variety of canning and preserving factories for 
fruit, fish'and meat that are found mainly in the vicinity of Bordeaux, 
flour mills, distilleries, sugar refineries and biscuit factories are 
also established. 

Grain Milling: 

Wheat production in the region is relatively small, and there are con¬ 
sequently few flour mills with a daily capacity of over 5 tons, in the 
Gironde about 14 mills, and in - the department of Landes about 15 mills. 
There is, however, at Bordeaux, one extremely important mill, the 
Grands Moulins de Bordeaux. It is one of the largest and most modern 
mills in France, and wheat imported from North Africa or from America 
was formerly milled. 

Wine Industry: 

Wine making in the Gironde is the outstanding agricultural activity of 
the region. The wine Bordeaux, which is the most important single product 
of the region, represented in pre-war years over 9% of the total French 
harvest. Almost the whole output of over 4.75 million hectoliters was 
made grom grapes grown in the department of Gironde„ 

r * 

The wines of Bordeaux; reputed to have been on the tables of the Ceasars 
in the fourth century, are of a high quality, the standard of which is 
jealously preserved by the many local manufacturers. 








(Bordeaux) 


- 103 - 

Bordelais, the great vineyard district of the Gironde, is divided in^o 
several distinct and large wine producing regions, which are as follows. 

1. LeMedoc, on the left bank of the Gironde and the Bordeaux 
up to Blanquefort. 

2. The Graves country, which covers the area between the "basin” 
of Blanquefort and the canton of Podensac, stretches along 
the left bank of the Garonne from the environs of Bordeaux 
to Barsac. 

3. Sauternes, stretching from the communes of Sauternes to the 
neighboring communes of Farques, Preignac, and Barsac. 
Generally speaking, white wines are the most important product 
of the above, perhaps the most popular of which is Le Chateau 

Yquem. 

4. Entre-Deux-Mers lies between the right bank of the Garonne and 
the left bank of the Dordogne, up to the Bee d’Ambes. The 

district also produces good white wine. 

* * 

5. Lastly, on the right bank of the Dordogne, the Libournais, 
together with the old regions of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol 
constitute an area where excellent red wines are produced. 


A subsidiary activity in the region is the production of sparkling wines 
by the "Champagnisation” process, which has developed over the las. 
quarter of a century in the Gironde. The appellation ''Champagne” is 
legally confined to the Champagne district of northern France. The ar 
of°producing sparkling wines, however, was extended, and the People of 
the Bordelais vinegrowing regions were among the first to adapt the 
secret of the art to their own local resources. The process^of 
"Champagnisation” is now carried on extensively in the department o± 
Gironde, notably at the centers of Cubzac-les-Ponts, Saint-Emilion, and 

Preignac, . 


Sugar Refineries: 

Bordeaux has for centuries been a port of primary significance for the 
South American and West Indian import trade, and sugar refining, which 
in this region, relies on imported cane sugar, is an old-established 
industry in Bordeaux, dating back to the seventeenth century. Some few 
years before the war the old-fashioned sugar refineries in Bordeaux_ 
were struggling against competition from the more modern factories in 
Northern France,'as well as the effect of "dumping” oy foreign firms. 

As a consequence, the old refineries of Saint-Remi, Fruges Tivoli and 
Saint-Croix merged to form the Raffineries de Bordeaux controlled by Soc 
des Raffineries et Sucre rio;; Jay, end .one. import nt cst. .elish-ieni 
up in the Rue Achard in the Bacalan district. 


«r -o r" 

o v_/ 



(Bordeaux) 


- 10l+ - 

Ths new refinery is well equipped with modern plant and can treat all | 

qualities of raw sugar -on the market. All types of sugar were produced 
and it was estimated that, in the immediate pre-war period, about 1,000 
workers'were employed. 

The Bordeaux refinery supplied southwestern France and had also a con¬ 
siderable export trade with Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and French West 
Africa. It has been reported that the refinery was damaged by-aerial 
bombardment in February 1943, but the extent of the damage is unknown. 


Fruits and Vegetables: 

Although the total area given'over to market garden cultivation is small 
(9000 hectares in the Gironde, and 5000 in the Landes), it represents 
some % of the French tbtal, and is not inconsiderable. Chiefly beans 
are grown in the Landes, but in the Gironde market garden produce is 
prolific. Horticulture is especially developed in the eastern part of 
the department, particularly in the river valleys. Beans are generally 
regarded as the most important single product, and it is estimated that 
one third of the harvest of this crop, was consumed locally and about two 
thirds was conserved. The artichokes grown at Macau are world famous 
and thrive in the alluvial soil of the Garonne. Peas, asparagus, 
Cauliflowers, peaches and fine pears are among other products-widely 
cultivated. Apples, plums and cherries are grown around the Gironde 
estuary, in the Bordelais, in the districts of Blaye, Libourne, Graves 
and Langonnais, as well as in the cantons of Carbon-Blanc, Creon, 

Cadillac and Targon. These products, together with many imported goods, 
serve to feed the canning centers at Bordeaux, although it seems clear 
that large quantities of these products are consumed locally or.exported 
to Paris, Today there are indications that transport difficulties hinder 
the export of any surplus produce that may be available. Truffles, a 
particularly famous French product, are found in the Landes, 

Canning: . j 


There is a canning industry of considerable importance in the Bordeaux 
region. Meat, vegetable and fruit canning are carried on on a moderate 
scale, and a certain number of firms undertake the bottling of truffles 
and the production of CHARCUTERIE. 

Fish canning is a leading industry in Bordeaux. The fishing port of 
Arcachon is notable for its sardine canning. It was reported that at 
the end of 1943 experiments in the methods of '-preserving fish were- being 
carried out in the refrigerator plant at Arcachon* It is interesting 
to note that cans are normally manufactured in Bordeaux, where, a factory 
of the important firm of J. I. Carnaud et Forges de Basse-Indre is 
situated. 


i 

i 








- 105 - 


(Bordeaux) 


Fishing: + ~ : 

In pre-war days fishing was an important occupation, centering around^ 
the. Basin of Arcachon, Gujen and Bordeaux. At Area chon, oyster breed¬ 
ing was extensive, while along the coast anchovy and sardines were 
caught, and tunny in the deeper waters. There are indications now 
that the fishing position has seriously deteriorated. Not only has the 
requisitioning of -trawlers from the fishing fleets and the fuel shortage 
hampered operations, but'labor shortages, mined waters and general war 
time restrictions suggest' that fishing may be limited to very local 
regions, and probably even to the lakes along the ,r Dune Littoraxe. T 


Recent figures indicate that the catches landed at Arcachon contain a 
far larger proportion of oysters to fish ohan Wuj formexl/ th- c_se. 

It was reported that in January, 1944, a total tonnage of 1400 tons of 
oysters and 800 tons of fish were landed in the "Southwest Reg 1 ^’ as 
against 380 tons of oysters and 2100 tons of fish, in January, 

The forces of occupation earmarked a large proportion of the season s 

catch of fish for canning. 

> *■ . *•* .. 

• * 1 , 

Dairy Industry: 

Meadows and pastures amount to 13$ of the Gironde department and -5$ of 
the Landes department. Cattle number some 290,000 in the region. 

Various herds of mixed breed are found. The milk gathered from these 
animals is collected and bottled and sent to.-Roquefort for cheese making 

purposes. ; i ; •: 

Milk yields in the Landes were formerly low, although in'the Gironde they 
were high, more than double the national average, averaging more tnan 
3600 liters per cow per annum. The total quantity of milk pro uce was 
relatively small, and as a consequence butter and. cheese output was 

negligible. 

Chocolate and Biscuits: 

Bordeaux is a center of some importance for the production of chocolate 
and biscuits. Among thenar a prominent works, mention shoula be made of 
the chocolate factory of'the 3. A. du Chocolat Tobler at Tal=nce ,ne 
biscuit factories of Biscuits Olibet at T.-.lence, the Biscuiterie Cjr ‘- 
Dop at Fossae, and the'factory of Louit Freres et Cic. at Bordeaux, which 
manufactures chocolate, cocoa, mustard and various presertes. In addi¬ 
tion there are a number of small chocolate ana bpscuit factories. It 
must be expected that at the present time activity will be negligi 1 
owing to lack of raw materials. 





- io6 - 


(Bordeaux) 


Vegetable Oil Refineries: 

The extraction of vegetable oils from ground nuts l,s.an old established 
industry in Bordeaux, since the port occupies a favorable geographical 
position for shipments of ground nuts from French S ® st 

from Senegal. Bordeaux is second in importance only to Marseilles for_ 
the production of ground nut oil, and it was estimated that, in the pr 
war period, some 48,000 tons of vegetable oil and 60.,000 tons of o 1 
cake were produced annually. Bordeaux normally imported each year 150,000 
tons of ground nuts, and it was estimated that in 1935, 1500 workers 
directly employed in the industry. 


Since the vegetable oil industry relies entirely on imports from overseas, 
the refineries must be expected to be largely inactive at the present 

time. r ' 


There were‘four outstanding firms which specialized m the crushing o 
ground nuts for the manufacture of refined vegetable oil and oil cake. 
The Grande Huilerie Bordelaise at Bordeaux i S< believed to be one of the 
most modern and best equipped of its kind in France. Edible ground nut 
oil,'household oil and oil cake were normally produced at this establish 
rnent, which has an annual crushing capacity of 80,000 tons. 


Apiculture: 

Apiculture is widely practiced and quantities of honey are produced, 
mainly for export. In the arrondisement of Mont-de-Marsan (Landes) 
and in the Gironde, the many acacia plantations, and the stretches of 
heather, are an asset for bee keeping. Indeed, the districts have oeen 
classified as among the best in France. 

* 

Cold Storage Depots: 

Bordeaux, as an important commercial port, has considerable* * cold storage 
facilities. The largest and most important depot in the Bordeaux dis¬ 
trict is the Gare Frigo—Maritime de Bordeaux at • Bass-0hs-.- This plant is 
not only a cold storage depot, but a freight station, and is situated 
very near the wharf. The plant has a total capacity of 8,000 cubic 
meters and is equipped with four chambers for.frozen meat, having a 
capacity of 1,000 tons each. This plant is owned by the Compagnic des 
Entrepots Frigorifigues et Docks de la Gironde, which also has two other 
cold storage depots in Bordeaux. The second plant has d total storage 
capacity of about 5600 cubic meters (2000 tons of meat). The third pj.ant 
has a capacity of 7.740 cubic meters (2500 tons of meat). 












- 107 - 

The Poitiers Region 


Departments: Vendee 

Deux-Sevres 

Vienne 

Charente-Infer ie'are 
Charente 

The Vendee department is in the province of Poitou. 

» 

The Charente -Inferieure and the Charente departments are in the 
province of Saintonge. The northernmost part of Charente protrudes 
into the province of Poitou. 

The Deux-Sevres department is in the province of Poitou, out its 
northernmost part extends into the province of Touraine. 

The Vienne department is in the province of Poitou. 

Tonography 

Geographical differences make it difficult to generalize about the 
region, and therefore it seems advantageous to examine the topographical 
features of the 5 departments. 

Apart, from the rising land which marks the northwestern extremity of 
the Massif Central, the Vienne is* almost entirely a plain, with a high 
proportion of its land arable. The Charente, by contrast, is hillj, 
sloping gradually from the granite uplands of the TORRES - 5R 0IDB3 in t*ie 
Maritime, drained in the central part by the river Charente, is a de- 
partment of plains with a few low hills, and contains a large proportion 
of arable land. It has, in general a flat, marshy coast, as have the 
offlying islands of Oleron and Re. The Deux-Sevres, a well watered 
department, takes its name from the two rivers which drain it, the Sevres 
Niortaise and the Sevres Nantaise. This department has many features 
in common with the Vendee. 


Industrialization: 

In this essentially agricultural area, which has only small coal resources 
and no mineral deposits, the metallurgical and engineering industry is 
not o-f* primary Importance. Same establishments, however, merit specia^ 
attention, and these include the State arms- factory at Chatelleraut the 
State run foundry at Ruelle, and the rolling stock constructional and 
repair°facilities at Saintes, Aytre and Pons. The general agricultural 
nature of the area is emphasized by the number of plants, whicn, in 
normal times, manufactured agricultural machinery. The chief cen er for 
the production of agricultural machinery was NIORT in the department o. 

Deux-Sevres. 








- io8 - 


(Poitiers) 


j 

Owing to the predominantly agricultural nature of the Poitiers 
the chemical industry is mainly concerned with the manufacture of arti- j 
ficial fertilizers. The majority of the larger plants are situated 
in the department of Cbarente-Maritime, La Rochelle-Pallice and Tonnay- 
Charente being the main centers of the industry. Since 1942 the in¬ 
dustry has suffered from a severe shortage of raw'materials, as phospha e 
rock was imported mainly from French North Africa, while Spain and 
Portugal supplied the iron pyrites from which sulphuric acid, an essen¬ 
tial constituent of superphosphate fertilizers, is manufactured. j 

The comparative importance of the production of superphosphate ferti¬ 
lizers in the region in the pre-war period is illustrated by the fact 
that in 1936 the four plants in the Charente-Maritime produced a total 
of 142,050 tons, and the one in Poitiers 15,900 tons, out of a French 
total of 1,181 } 560 tons. 

There are a few paper mills in the region located principally in the de¬ 
partment of Charente, but none of these produces its own pulp. 

The production of leather in the region is not on a large scale, the 
majority of establishments being very small. There are some 15-20 
tanneries, mostly small, but one or two are important. 

A large'percentage of the total working population is engaged in agri¬ 
culture, and the total industrial labor force, in normal times, is small. 

. . • ( 

Agriculture 

General: •. 

The Poitiers region is predominantly agriculturali The department of 
Charente in particular is a rich dairying country, and Charente butter is 
famous throughout France. Large quantities of cereals are grown, and 
there are also considerable areas under orchards and market gardens. The 
vineyards of the region are of first importance, it is, indeed, the 
famous COGNAC country. Fishing is carried on in the coastal zone, and 
fish canning is important in the La Rochelle district and in the depart¬ 
ment of Vendee. ~ --4 : 

Before the war, Poitiers, an economic region with varied physical make¬ 
up, was a flourishing agricultural area,producing a range of cereal and 
fodder crops, good wines, fruit, fish, and above all, fine cattle. 

t ’ ' ■ • •m's.’,.. 

The population of 1.75 millions was formerly fairly equally divided 
among the five departments. The percentage of the population working in 
agriculture was 60$ of all the gainfully employed, a figure'far above 
the national average of 35$. Only in the Charente-Maritime, which has a 
relatively large fishing population, was the proportion less than 60$. 





- 109 - 


(Poitiers) 


Holdings do not differ substantially either in number or size from 
normal. Approximately 48$ of all holdings in the region ivere between 
1 and 10 hectares, while over 30$ were between 10 and 50 hectares. Forms 
of tenancy vary from one department to another. 

The general standard of agriculture in the region is in no way exceptional. 
The region is not highly mechanized. Tractors numbered in all some 
18,000, and nearly half of them were centered in the Charente-Maritime. 

This gross figure represents about 6$ of France’s total. The use of fer¬ 
tilizers was low. The quantities of nitrogen and potash applied to 
arable, market gardens and vineyards was about 50$' of the average for the 
country. The usage of phosphates was formerly a'bout average, though high 
in the Charente-Maritime. Yields are low and in almost every department 
they are poorer than the relatively poor French average'. 

i r ,. 

Cereals: ‘ 

- . - - i 

Poiti rsranks among the three most productive wheat growing regions in 
France, contributing nearly 8$ to her total harvest. The plains of 
Vendee and Vienne are the most prolific individual districts, with the 
central arable lands of Deux-Sevres running a close second. 

Rye and Maize output is very small. Barley, too, totalled only 85,000 
tons before the war, but represents nearly 8$ of the national crop. 

The largest production of cereals is found in the Charente-Maritime, 
where output is more than one third of the regional total. Nearly 270,000 
tons of oats were formerly grown in the Poitiers region, a total repre¬ 
senting 6$ of France’s gross crop. 

Potatoes: 

Potatoes, which totalled some 630,000 tons, were extensively grown in 
every department, although nearly half of the output was produced in 
the Deux-Sevres and Vienne. 

Sugar Beets: , . 

Sugar beet production, which amounted to some 40,000 tons in the Charente- 
Maritime, and 20,000 in the Deux-Sevres, a crop which primarily supplies 
the distilleries of Melle, was negligible for the whole region. 

Fiber Crops • 

Limited quantities of fiber crops are produced in the three most northerly 
departments, the Deux-Sevres, Vendee and Vienne. Colza is harvested in 
all three, hemp in the first two, and flax in all but Deux-Sevres. 









ii a - 


(Poitiers) 


Livestock: ; ■■■ • 

•• ■ ' , . ' 

The breeding and fattening of livestock* chiefly, cattle, and the pro¬ 
duction of milk and milk products plays a large part in the animal 
husbandry of the region. Pasture lands are good, with especially 
large tracts in the..Vendee (nearly l/3 of the : total for the region), 
the Deux-Sevr.es and Charente Maritime. Fodder is, also plentiful. 


Formerly the region possessed nearly 9 % of the country’s total cattle 
numbers, which were concentrated firstly in the Vendee, and secondly 
in the Deux-Sevres. The chief breed of PARTHENAY hre found hot only 
in these departments, but also in the Vienne. 


Food Position: 



In spite of its agricultural productivity the Poitiers region before 
the war was largely dependent on imports for day to day fo.Qd require¬ 
ments. Only in meat and cereals were the surpluses considerable. The 
substantial wheat and rye balance, amounting to seme 180,000 tons, went 
formerly to departments in regions as widely scattered as Bordeaux, 
Toulouse and Faris. On the other hand, it may be assumed that almost 
the entire meat balance of some 80,000 tons went to Paris. This was 
also probably true of the fat surplus totalling some 25,000 tons. It 
should be noted that although butter was primarily exported in sub¬ 
stantial quantities, the region was heavily deficient in vegetable oil, 
of which there was generally a far higher per capita consumption than 
butter. 


In milk the region was virtually self-supporting, with no exports. 

Large quantities of potatoes, over 200,000 tons, were obtained from the 
Angers and Rennes regions. Sugar was deficient by about 30,000 tons. 

It was further estimated that there was a deficit of some 60,000 tons 
of wine, the greater part of this amount being probably obtained from 
Bordeaux. 


It is likely now that the Poitiers region, with its large rural popula¬ 
tion, is less hardly hit by the war from the point of -view.of .food 
supplies than the industrial areas. The ^present surplus of wheat and 
rye has been estimated to be about 130,000 tons, and that of meat about 
40,000 tons. It is known that regions.other than Paris receive part 
of this former large balance. The estimated fat balance for the whole 
region has fallen to about 19,000 tons. Owing to'restricted wine con¬ 
sumption there is estimated to be a surplus of 60,000 -tons instead of 

the former; deficiency of 60,000 tons. 

* - ■ .. • ., v ‘ '■ 

Potato deficiency now amounts to about 15,000 tons,-, and that of sugar 
to some 18,000 tons. Milk is likely to have fallen 'to a deficit of 
54,000 tons. The greater change over in this position is due primarily 
to the fall in production stressed above. It can be assumed that, pro¬ 
viding fodder production is adequate, the position will rapidly right 
itself. 







- Ill - 


(Poitiers) 


Grain Milling: 

All the departments in the region have a large number of flour mills. 
Few of the mills have a daily wheat capacity of over 250 quintals. 

In the departments of Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sevres the majority 
of the flour mills have a daily capacity of between 100 and 250 
quintals, while in other departments the majority have a capacity of 
between 50 quintals and 100 quintals. Only nine mills in the region 
have a daily capacity of over 250 quintals. 

The following table illustrates the distribution of the flour mills 
in the region (1936 statistics): 

1936 Statistics 


XV UliiUOl Ui I 1 UU 1 AVI illO 

Departments 

uiaooiiluu ui 

50-100 

quintals 

100-250 

quintals 

Over 250 
quintals 

Charente 

21 

11 

2 . 

C hare nte -Ma r i t ime 

3 

22 

4 

Deux-Sevres 

• • . 4 

8 

— 

Vendee • •' 

21 . . 

9 

2 

Vienne 

23 , 

-•»w . 

12 

1 

•" <• ' - ; / ‘ • • * ; «- 

------;- 

* ■ i • ^ * 

- r • 

. t 


Canning, Fruit and Vegetables; 


The department of Vendee has a fish canning industry of primary import¬ 
ance, which has developed in connection with the local fishing industry. 
The fish canning consists mainly of sardines in oil, sprats, small 
mackerel and tunny. The most important fish canning centers are Croix- 
de-Vie, Ile-de-Yeu, Noirmoutier and Les Sables-d'Olonnes. La Rochelle 
(Charente-Maritime) is also noted for the variety of its fish canning. 

No detailed information is available as to the present -state of the 
industry. 


Other commodities for canning are plentiful, and include fruit, vegetables 
and meat. Local specialties are puree-de-marrons, pate-de-foie-gras and 
preserved truffles. Ruffec (Charente) and Rochefort are the two most im¬ 
portant canning centers. 


Market gardening'is localized. Niort, in the Deux-Sevres, is a good 
vegetable center, oinions, asparagus and artichokes being specialties. 













- 112 7 . 


(Poitiers) 


In the Vendee, in the drained alluvial areas to the south and nor , 
cider apples and table fruit, including pears, peaches, plums., and. 
cherries were produced. There was also an important walnut crop. 
Chestnuts, cider apples and walnuts 'were'.also produced in the Charente 
in the .region of the Terres Chaudes, and in the Vienne. From both, 
these departments nuts figured in exportable surpluses. 

Melons, peas, carrots and strawberries were grown.,in the fertile-inlands 
of Re and Oleron, with the result that primeurs were sent every year to 
the arrondissement of La Rochelle. The two Charente departments ex¬ 
ported cider apples, walnuts and chestnuts. . .. 

Fishing: 

Fishing played an important part in the domestic economy of Poitiers. 
Before the war its fishing fleet, composed partly of sailing boats and 
partly of steam trawlers, used to sail from- La* * Rochelle jEsnandes and-. 

La Cotiniere on the Isle of Oleron, Les Sables-d’Olonne (Vendee) and 
Marennes in the Charente, . •• 

In 1930 it was estimated that nearly 15% of the numerical strength-of 
the French fishing fleet sailed from ports in the Poitiers region. 

This represented something over 12% of the total fishing tonnage on which 
some 9000 men were formerly engaged. About 9% by weight of the total 
French catch was landed along this coast, a figure which excludes shell 

fish. . V 

Mussels and oyster breeding, the chief industries on the- Charente. coast, 
had as their center La Rochelle, which, after Boulogne, was regarded as 
the greatest fishing port in France, and held first place amdng-.all 
ports on the Atlantic coast. The fish landed hero was various and 
valuable. Cod, tunny, sole, mackerel, red mullet, turbot and sardines 
were included in the daily catch, much of which was exported not only 
to Paris, but also beyond the frontiers to Switzerland,' Italy and Spain. 
Mussel breeding beds stretch along the coast into th6' Rochelle quarter. 
The chief centers of this activity are in the Bay of Aiguillon at 
Esnandes' and Mars il-ly-, and along the irrigation canals in the Charron 
district. 

* 

Oysters, in large numbers were formerly bred end dredged along the 
Charente coast. These were of two sorts: PORTUGAISES. and MARENNES- the 
latter being bred almost solely of the Ile-d’Oleron. More than 300 
million PORTUGAISES were gathered annually in the vicinity of 
La Rochelle'and Ile-de-Re. The production Of ‘the MARENNES exceeded even 
this figure,, rising as high as 550 millions., a substantial part of this 
•output being exported to Spain and Switzerland. ' ', 







(Poitiers) 


- 113 * 

Cod drying is a subsidiary industry which has of late achieved prominence. 
This is carried oh principally at La Rochell®-^!!^ 6, • 

Fish byproducts are utilized for manufactured artificial fertilizers, and 
at La Rochelle are two factories established for this purpose. Quanti les 
of fish meal for cattle feed are also produced at these centers. 

Fishing is known to have suffered more acutely from war time restrictions 
than perhaps any other occupation connected with the production of food. 
Unconfirmed reports state that the national catch has fallen to some 
thing around 1/7 of the pre-war figure. Whether this estimate is correc 
or not, it has been authoritatively stated that a substantial proportion 
of all fish now landed finds its way to the homes and local markets of 
the fisherfolk. Little fish reaches the common market. 

Wine Industry: 


Some' 380,000 tons of wine were formerly produced here, a quantity repre¬ 
senting about 7-1/2% of France’s total output. Of this amount not less 
than one third of the harvest was gathered in the Charente "ant line, 
while the Charente and Vendee totalled nearly half of the gross^outpu . 
COGNAC on the river Charente, is the most important single center con- 
nected*with vine growing in the whole region. In and around this town 
much of the locally grown white wine is distilled in^o the famous bran y 
to which Cognac gives its name. Red wine, a speciality of the Vienne, 
is produced mainly in the Poitiers district, while the white wine of 
TROIS-MOUTTERS, near Loudun, is well known. 


Dairy Industry: 

Cattle rearing, which is also carried on in the Charente-Maritime, is 
perhaps less important than'the dairy farming. This department, uo 
gether with the Deux-Sevres, is the outstanding dairying center of tho 
region, and in it are situated some large and good co-operatives. 

Apart from the many independent co-operative dairies m the Cnarente- 
Maritime, there were formerly a number of such centers affiliated to the 
Central Union des Charentes et du Poitou. 

Milk yields are not exceptional, the average for the region being approxi¬ 
mately ecual to that of France. Milk production in 1937 was well over 
one million tons, representing nearly 8$ of the French output Cheese 
production was everywhere negligible, but the butter output of 28,000 
tons, about 13-1/2$ of France's gross production, was high. Ihe 
Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sevres produced about 50$ of the regional 

put. 




(Poitiers) 



In the north of both Charente departments the milk produced is trans¬ 
formed, at modern cooperatives, into excellent butter. In these dis¬ 
tricts, as well as in the Deux-Sevres, the installation of centrifugal 
cream skimmers has been largely responsible for the big extension of 
milk products manufactured in the region. It is alleged that the 
quality of the butter here is such as to rival the produce of even 
Normandy or Brittany. 

Cheese production, such as It was, was mainly located in the Charente- 
Maritime. It may be noted that before the war special cheeses known 
as TETE-DE-MORT were manufactured here at a big dairy at Marans. In 
addition, near this center, at Charron limited quantities of a cheese 
called DU CURE were made. These milk products were partly consumed 
locally and partly exported to Paris and other districts of France, 
and abroad. 


The manufacture of casein, extracted from the residue of curds, p'r'o-^ 
vides an important side-line in dairying. The r esidue from buttel* 
making is.usually treated for the purposes of "caseum” extraction, 
which, when dried,, becomes casein, for which there are many commercial 
uses. This process is usually carried on at centers attached, to the 
dairies, and quantities of casein are exported from La Rochelle. 





- 115 - 

The Dijon Region 

Departments: Yonne 

Cote-d’Or 
Haute Saone 
Nievre 
Doubs 

Territoire-de-Belfort 

The northern part of the department of Yonne is in the province oi 
Champagne. The southwestern part is in the province of Orleans, the 
southeastern part is in the province of Bourgogne. 

The dep rtment of Nievre takes in the whole province of Nivernais. 

The department of Cote-d’Or is in the province of Bourgogne, but its 
northeastern part protrudes into the province of Champagne. 

The departments of Doubs and Haute-Saone are in the province of Ft* nche 
Comte. 

The Territoire-de-Belfort is in the province of Franche-Comte. 


General: ’ ' 

The forested areas in this region cover approximatelyJ3C$ of the total 
surface in each department, compared with less than 12 jo lor the country 
as a whole. Altogether this represents some 9of France’s totax 
forests. In the department of Nievre lie the forested and granite 
mountains of Morvan, one of the most picturesque parts of France, in 
which Mt. Prenelay is situated. 

The population of 1.5 million, is somewhat unevenly distributed averaging 
245,000 people to a department, although formerly there were over 330,000 
in the Cote-d’Or and as few as 100,000 in the Belforx. excluding this 
latter department the percentage of gainfully employed men and women who 
worked in agriculture is somewh t above the average, being over 40$ (but 
falling to 13$ in Belfort). 

Land holdings tend to be small. Approximately 70$ - 75$ of all holdings 
being under 10 hectares in all departments, a distribution similar to that 
in the country generally. The* number of large estates, on the other nand, 
chiefly in Cote-d’Or, Nievre and Yonne, the chief vine growing areas of 
the region are above average, a tendency most marked in respect to holdings 
which exceed 100 hectares. A large percentage of all estates are farmed 
by their owners — occupiers, in the Haute—Sacne as many as n_n^_ tentns • 
Metayage is negligible, but tenancy is rarely below the norm of 30$ and in 
the Cote-d’Or nearly 50$ of all holdings are tenanted. 




(Dijon) 

Except in dairying the standard of farming prevailing is below the 
French average. Tractors which totalled less than 700 for the whole, 
region represented but 2% of France's entire resources. Fertilizer 
usage is small. The amount of nitrogen fertilizers applied to arable, 
market gardens and vineyards being negligible, that of phosphates being 
low save in the Doubs and Belfort, and that of potash, except in Bel¬ 
fort again, poor. 

Yields, generally, were also exceptionally low, only in the case of 
potatoes did the crop exceed the relatively poor French average. 

Agriculture : 

i . ?' 

Dijon, a predominantly forested region has few characteristics in ito 
agriculture which distinguishes it from other parts of France. Wheat, 
oats and potatoes are produced in fair quantity, and wine, particularly 
the Burgundian product is of high quality. Good livestock is reared 
on the pasture lands, which, save in the Yonne and the Cote-d’Or, is • 

extensive. 

% *' 

Small areas of market gardens are found in every department, mainly 
around the river valleys. Vines, which are grown extensively in the 
Yonne and Cote-d’Or total but 3$ of all French vineyards, and tend to be 
small everywhere. Only in the Cote-d’Or does a high production of 
these holdings exceed 2 hectares. 

Cereals: ' ' - 

Except in the Cote-d’Or and Yonne, which produced about 2/3 of the total 
harvest, wheat production was relatively small. The Nicvre formerly 
contributed about 60,000 tons to the gross output of 390,000 tons, which 
generally speaking tended to be concentrated on the arable lahds, near 
the river valleys. 

Rye production was negligible, the pre-war figure of 5000 tons in the 
Haute-Saone being the highest of any individual department. 

Barley, chiefly grown in the wheat areas, totalled around 50,000 tons, 
and was formerly of sufficient quantity for several breweries to be 
established in the Cote-d’Or and Yonne. 

Oats, the greatest quantities of which are again harvested in the wheat 
growing departments, are sowji extensively. This crop, which averaged 
some 340,000 tons, represented over 7% of the French output, .and was fed 
mainly to livestock within the region. 


- 116 - 













117 - 


(Dijon) 


Sugar Beet: * 

Sugar beet is grown in. only two departments, .the Cote-d'Or and Yonne, 
and represents about 3$ of the French total. The output of u^~t iro-i 
the Cote-d’Or which produces nearly double the quantity of Yonne, par y 
fed the distilleries scattered through the department, and was partly 
used in the manufacture of biscuits, spiced bread which are important 
food processes undertaken in and around Dijon. 

At the Yonne, where sugar beet production is smaller, and concentrated 
primarily in the cantons of Brienon, Bray-sur-Seine, Flogny and Seigne- 
lay, the crop feeds the sugar mills of Brienon, Bray-sur -Seine, and 

Monte reau. 


Potatoes: 


Substantial quantities of potatoes are harvested in every department, 
in the plains, and on the lower foothills both of the plateaux an^ e 

mountains. The total crop, formerly, amounted to some 700,000 tons. 


Rape, colza and snail quantities of tobacco were produced before the war 
chiefly in the Cote d’Or and Haute Saone. 


Livestock: 

Cattle predominate, numerically, among the livestock which ^ geared in 
every department. Before the war nearly three quarters of a million 
of cattle primarily Nivernais and Charolais stock, were m the regio , 
nearly S’ ounce's total numbers. In Nievre, the most outstanding 
department from the point of view, of numbers, cattle fattening had 
reached great proportions. 

On the plateaux and rich pasturelands of the Cote d’Or, Nievre and Yonne, 
where Cterny is a specially important•center, horses, and especially 
"s, fre bred extensively. Nievre, the chief mule producing depart¬ 
ment is also famous as the home of the Nivernais breed, nc-ed for their 
value as draught animals. 

Sheep, which numbered some 370,000 represented 4f, of the national total. 

Pigs, numbering some 250,000, are scattered through the departments and 
are hred mainly for local domestic consumption. 

The Yonne is the one department, where poultry rearing is^of signm icaxaae, 
and ceese and chickens arc reared here in substantial numoers. ^ 1 7 

chickens are most widely reared, and their eggs are. important commercially. 





) 


- 118 - (Dijon) 

Geese are fattened at La Puisayc, and turkeys in the Gatinais. A 
specialty was formerly made of -rearing-ducks, pigeons and rabbits in 
the arrondissement of Sens. The one other district of importance is 
Le Louhannais, an extension of Bresse, whence poultry is both.exported 
and, on,-.a relatively small scale, ,canned. 

' ‘ ” ‘ *I ■ ’ • 

• j r * ' . .. ( 

Food consumption: 

Before the war it'was estimated that the wheat and rye surplus amounted 
to around 74,000 tons,'and potatoes to 125,000 tons. Sugar was somewhat 
deficient and fats too, although the meat surplus was about 14,000 tons. 
In the milk the balance was over 30,000 tons to the good, but wine was 
lacking by over 50,000 tons. 

Bearing in mind the food'restrictions which should have curtailed con¬ 
sumption, reducing deficits and increasing surpluses, the current pro¬ 
visional estimates are thought to be as follows: 

The.balance of wheat and rye is around 65,000 to 70,000 tons, 
and that of potatoes over 100,000 tons. Dijon is virtually 
self-supporting in sugar, ‘and similarly in meat-, of* which 
there is a small balance, somewhat less than in the pre-war 
, years. The milk balance, owing to a vastly reduced con¬ 
sumption among the civilian .population, is theoretically more 
than in the 1936-38 period. *' It is, however, known that 
much milk is utilized for black market butter and probably 
cheese, so that the favorable balance of over 40,000 tone.... 

•may be a high estimate. Wine is still heavily deficient, 
owing partly to the impact of heavy requisitions and partly 
to reduced crops. Possibly, the most serious shortage in Dijon 
is in the fat supply, the ration'of which is khowii rarely to 
be honored. All in all, however, because of the rural aspect 
of this region, Dijon is likely to be less severely hit by war 
conditions, than the more industrialized regions of France. 

. i‘T . • » 

Food Industries: 

• Thp Dijon Region has a varied food industry. 1'ho food processing, with 
exception of grain milling, is not carried' on widely in the region, the 
Cote d’Or deportment being the one department’where manufacturing 
activity is at all intense. 

- I"' --mV-. ' A.-' ( 

Grain Milling: 

Flour mills are fairly well distributed throughout the 'region, the 
t number of mills in the different departments with a daily wheat 







119 - 


(Dijon) 


capacity of over 50 quintals being: 


Cote d’Or 13 
Doubs 19 
Nievre 28 
Haute Saone 17 
Yonne 9 
Territoire-de-Belfort 2 


The majority of these mills have a capacity of between 100 and 2o0 quintals. 
Four mills in the region have a daily wheat capacity of over 500 quintals: 

(1) Grandes MinotOries Dijonnaises Dijon 

(2) Dormoy Freres • Fougerolles (H-S| 

(3) Petit Freres Port-sur-Saone (H-S) 

(4) Gaston Perrot Sens 

Miscellaneous Industries: 

The manufacture of biscuits is of some significance. Dijon particularly 
is noted as a center of this industry, which is also carried on in 
Besancon, Avallon, Vesoul and Montbazon ( Haute-Saone ) . There is^ a^so some 
manufacture of chocolate, and special mention should be •made m this _ con 
nection of the important factory of Peter Cailier Kohler ax Pontarlier. 


Wine Industry: 

* - * ' *• • 

The chief source of wealth of several departments is the'product ion and 
exnort of wine. This is specially true of the Cote d f 0r, from where wines 
in the vicinity of Beauce, Cote de Hu its and Dijon, red and white wine, are 

made. 

Vineyards in the Yonne are concentrated chiefly to-the west of the de- 
partment, notably in regions which stretch from the Cote d’Or aisuric- to 
the Aube. The vineyards of Tonnerois and Auxerrois are reported ^o pro¬ 
duce the finest red wines of lower Bergundy and those of Chablis, the ^ _ 
finest white wine. The wine of Cote St. Jacques (Yoigny) has also a nigh 
reputation. In the Nievre vine graving centers are m and arouna Clamency 
and the Loire', the vin blanc of POuilly on the Loire being one of the best 

products of that vicinity. 


Market Gardening a nd Canning: 

*■ . - - < - 

The production of fruit and vegetables which are not outstanding quantita¬ 
tively,' came mainly from the river valleys oft he-Cote d’Or, wievre* anu 
Yonne, La Puisaye being the chief center in the latter department, xhe 






- 120 - 


(Dijon) 


green vegetables cultivated in the neighborhood of Dijon and 
Auxonne are exported as "primeurs.” Onions here are especially good. 

Carrots, onions, cherries, pears and plums are among the more plenti¬ 
ful produce. Cider apples take special prominence in Yonne. 

From the cherries grown in the Haute Saone and Belfort, Kirsch, the 

cherry brandy of world fame, is distilled and widely exported. 

« r - 

The last important, but most scarce product in this category is the 
cassis, black currant, which flourishes in an area stretching from 
Chagny to Malain. This fruit feeds important local distilleries, at 

which "Creme de Cassis de Dijon” is made. Britain was formerly a 
great importer of this commodity. 

An indication, that the overall production of market garden produce 
is not high, lies in the fact, that the canning industries in the 
Dijon region are practically undeveloped. A .small amount of fruit 
and vegetable canning is carried on in the region, and there is a 
small production of "sauerkraut” in the department of Doubs and the 
Terriroire-de-Belfort. 

r • 

Sugar Beet Production; 

Sugar Beet production is confined to the departments of Cote d T 0r 
and Yonne, and there are only three sugar factories in the region 
situated at Aiserey and Brazey-la-Pl^ine (Cote d f 0r), and Brienon- 
sur-Armancon (Yonne). 

Alcohol Distilleries and Breweries: 

Alcohol distilleries are numerous in the eastern part of the Cote 
d T 0r and the Yonne. Some of these utilize beet, but apple dis¬ 
tilleries arc the most frequent. Considerable quantities of cider 
are produced in the Yonne, Auxerre being an important center. 

There are some breweries in the Territoire-de-Belfort, the Doubs, and 
the Cote d’Or. The largest of them are located at Sochaux, Bensancon 
Belfort, Dijon and La-Chapelie-sous-Rougemont (Territoire-de-Belfort). 

Dairying: 

Dairy farming formerly flourished in the department of Doubs, .in the 
region of the plain, and to a lesser extent on the lower, less exposed 
slopes. In this department, milk production which totalled as much 
as 2,000,000 hectoliters, represented over 5% of the country's total 
production. Milk yields per cow were above the average in every de- 








- 121- 


(Dijon) 


partment, but the Nievre, and in Doubs it nearly topped the 3,^00 
liter limit. Butter production was nowhere high, the greatest out¬ 
put of 2400 tons in the Haute Saone representing over one third of 
the region T s total. 

Cheese production was formerly high, totalling in all some 10$ of the 
French output, well over half of which was made in Doubs alone, and 
one quarter in Haute Saone, Up till the outbreak of the present war, 
cheese production, and the making of Gruyere in particular, had become 
increasingly important. In this department producers have turned more 
and more from cereal to dairy farming, until it was alleged, that 
Gruyere production had become the pivot of the -.rural economy in the 
Doubs. Cheese is made mainly in mountain chalets, the construction 
of which was greatly facilitated by a law which granted agricultural 
credit for this purpose. 

Farmers, combine into communal co-operative groups known as ‘'Fruitieres 
in order to make the.ir cheese from the locally produced milk. Modern, 
up to date methods are said‘to be employed in those centers.- 

Apiculture: 

Bee keeping is widely practiced in the Yonne. - Bees are kept here not 
so much for their honey as for the commercial value of the actual 
swarms for which there is a great demand among farmers in Gatinais. 






Departments: 


- 122 - 

T he Montpell ier R egion 

Lozere < 

Aveyron 1 : - 

Herault 
Aude 

Pyrenees-Orientales 

The departments of Lozere and Herault are in the province of 
Languedoc. , . 

The department of Aveyron is in the province of Guyenne at Gascogne. 

The department of Aude is in the province of Languedoc, but its south- 
westernmost part protrudes into the province of Foix. 

The department of Pyrenoos-Orientales is in the province of Rousillon, 
its northernmost part protrudes into the province of Languedoc. 

General: 

The northern part of the region, including the departments of Aveyron 
and Lozere and part of the Herault, forms the southern edge of t he 
Massif Central. The cultivation of crops in this area is insignificant, 
but there are extensive sheep pastures in the mountains and valleys. 
There is little industrial activity in the area. 

In the south, the region enters the fringe of the Pyrenean area of high, 
folded ranges. Here again there is little industry, though iron ore 
and talc are mined. The mountain torrents arc an important potential 
source of hydro-electric power, which as yet has not been fully 
developed. 

The coastal plain and its surrounding foothills, which lie between the 
two mountainous areas, have a greater concentration of population. It 
is an agricultural country, specializing in the cultivation of vine. 
Substantial quantities of wine are produced, and in the main towns 
there is a considerable cooperage industry. There is also a large 
number of firms engaged in the manufacture of agricultural machinery. 
Sete, the one important port of the region, and the second French 
commercial port of the Mediterranean, lies within this area. 

Industrialization : 


The Montpellier region is not highly industrialized. There is, however, 
a certain amount of industrial activity and certain individual plants 
are of more than local significance. Among them arc the iron and steel 
works at Decazeville (Aveyron), the zinc plant at Viviez (Aveyron), the 
mineral oil refinery at Frontignan, near Sete (Herault) and the loco- 








(Montpellier) 


- 123 ' 

. motive, and- rolling stock' repair works a,t Beziers (Herault). Many 
of the miscellaneous industries are directly connected with agricul¬ 
ture. In. the coastal region there are many manufacturers of in¬ 
dustrial machinery and the cooperage industry, already mentioned meets 
a steady demand for barrels for the wine industry. The tanning in¬ 
dustry, and the manufacture of gloves, which are centered at Millau 
(Aveyron), ewe their origin to the flocks and herds on the extensive 
pasture lands of the district, 

• *y. • ,• . ^ . . 2 , " r ; * * * • *. , *. ■ . •. • •• *. . • . 1 ‘ ■ . i 

The metallurgical industry of t he region is not highly developed. 

While it is true that there are coal deposits in'.the Aveyron and the 
Herault, and iron ore in the Pyrenees-Orientsles, these deposits are 
not found in very great quantity, and were not extensively exploited in 
the immediate pre-war period. 

Small engineering, works were, however, to be found in most of the 
principal towns of the area, and Beziers (Herault), Carcassone (Aude), 
.and Montpellier (Herault) in particular specialized in the manufacture 
of Agricultural Machinery . There is a -concentration, of the chemical 
industry in the Etang de Thau area, but no important plants are to be 
found outside this district. 

Agriculture: . 

Farming constitutes the principal economic activity in all these de¬ 
partments, In Herault and the Pyrenees-Orientales it .occupies nearly 
half the population, in Aude over half, in Aveyron more than two 
thirds .and in the mountainous Lozere four-fifths. 

The climate of the plains is typically Mediterranean with heavy rain¬ 
fall in October, and November, but practically none in the summer 
months. Winter brings snow to the mountains, but hardly even a frost 
to the plain. Summers are the hottest anywhere in Western Europe 
with a mean July temperature of 76° F. 

< 

This type of climate specially favors vine-growing, since grapes pre¬ 
fer warm, dry weather during their period of formation and ripening. 
Except for certain specialties in the outlying districts', the Roque¬ 
fort cheese industry in. Aveyron and the fruit and market gardening of 
Perpignan, the agricultural activity of the whole area centers around 
viticulture, In.'HerauLt, for instance, more than four-iifths of the 
agricultural holdings are principally concerned with vines, while the 
five departments as whole provide more than a third of the total French 
wine production. : ;a : • rm 





(Montpellier) 


_ 12 I 1 - (Montpellier) 

... | 

Because of the peculiar features of fanning, sheep grazing, viticulture 

and market gardening,'very little of the ordinary agricultural machin¬ 
ery is used, tractors, mowers, reaper-binders, etc. of importance, 
however, are the special implements of the vineyards and of wine-making 
spraying apparatus, wine pressers, weighbridges, stills, vats and 
barrels. These are manufactured locally at Beziers and neighboring 
towns. '• 


Fertilizers are scarcely used in Lozere and Aveyron, but plentifully 
in the vineyards and market gardens of the plain. Normally sources 
of supply are at hand, the large superphosphate factories at Sete 
and the synthetic nitrogen plant at Toulouse (just outside the re¬ 
gion), while potash is imported by coastal steamers from Spain. 
Sprays are widely used, copper sulphate being manufactured at Sete. 


The chief corn crops are wheat and oats in Aveyron and Aude and rye 
in Aveyron and-Lozere, but the local area under all crops combined 
(excluding clover and lucerne) is less than the vineyards acreage. 
Chiefly because of the lack of water, yields per acre are low, in 
Lozere and Aveyron only half the none too high French average and in 
the other three departments only three quarters of it. 


Apart from some cattle and pigs in Aveyron, the only livestock of im¬ 
portance in this region are sheep, which feed on the barren "causses" 
and "garrigues. ,T Aveyron has half a million sheep, and the other 
four departments another half million between them, altogether one- 
tenth' of all France's sheep. The predominant breed is "GAUSSES" 
sheep, hardy, but a good milker, valued for cheese making. The 
average annual yield is some 85 liters (19 gallons) per ewe. 

This region was always deficient in food supplies. It depended on 
"imports” from other parts of France for more than half of its bread 
grain, for some of its meat and fats and all its sugar. In return, 
it exported Roquefort cheese, wine and large quantities of fruit and 
vegetables. 

G-rain Milling: 

There is no great variety of food processing carried on in the region. 
A large number of small flour mills is to be found throughout the five 

departments, but there are no outstandingly large flour mills in the 
region. 

Wine Industry: 

The most numerous and important food processing plants are the wine 
making centers and distilleries. In 1938, there were 285 distilleries 
and a much larger number of wine presses. 











(Montpellier) 


- 125- 

Vine has been cultivated in this region since Roman.-times.. .The plaxn 
of Montpellier presents a picture of continuous vineyards xor some 3u 
miles. Cultivation extends westward, into Aude and on a lesser scale 
into Pyrenees-Orientsles• It is a mass production industry providing 
almost exclusively ir Vin Ordinaire,” Often the wines of Herault are 
fortified with Algerian wine, which has a slightly higher alcohol con¬ 
tent though e rougher flavor. A few specialty wines are, however,. 
found in the southwest of the region, the well known wines of Roussillon 
and the unique products of the Pyrenean valleys, which, having a singular 
sweetness and high alcohol content, are reserved for the making of 
liqueurs# A brandy industry is centered in Beziers, and besides this, 
several hundred distilleries for the production of industrial alcohol 
are scattered throughout the plain, using the inferior grapes and the 
residues from the wine presses. 

In several pre-war years, ”vin ordinaire” fetched extremely.low prices, 
and oyer production became so chronic that the government intervene a. 

It prohibited the planting of new vineyards, subsidized growers ^o de¬ 
stroy a proportion of their vines and directed a suostantial percenta 5 e 
of each year's crop to the distillers. This ves arranged so thao the 
large-scale growers had to surrender for distillation (at low ’'.rices) 
a larger proportion of their output than the small ones, the intention 
being to reserve the more lucrative market (wine-making/ xor the 
peasantry. In fact, the Government hoped that some of t.he big men 
would be forced out.of business so that their vineyards could be divided 
among small cultivators and thus help to relieve unemployment. 

Since the war, the situation has been reversed and wine has been, in 
short supply. Unfavorable weather , hopelessly insufficient'supplies 
of copper-sulphate and other sprays, together with Shortageof laoor, 
have conspired to produce markedly sub-normal crops, th 2 t of 1942 being 
reported as only 60fo of average. - No doubt a large numoer of long dis¬ 
carded wine—presses have been brought into use in peasant's hoi.es in 
order to evade rationing, so that the deliveries of grapes to the com¬ 
mercial and co-operative presses will have fallen of more than the 
actual crop. 

Dairy Industry: 

There are few dairy cattle in those departments, the milk yield is low, 
only 900 liters (200 gallons) per cow in Lozere and Aveyron, and is 
used either for local liquid consumption or for rearing calves, there 
b.eing a trade in slaughter cattle from the mountains. There is j-itrle 
butter or cheese making, local consumption of fats being exclusively 
in the form of oil. 



(Montpellier) 


- 126 - 

The milk from the numerous r, CAUSSES :t sheep is valued for cheese 
making. The cheese makers of Roquefort in Aveyron, using exclusively 
ewes milk, have been manufacturing their famous product since the middle 
ages. The special creaminess and high protein of ewes milk give 
Roquefort cheese its distinctive flavor and nutritional value, while 
much also is said to depend on the slow maturing in the cool rock- 
cellars and natural eaves of Roquefort, and neighboring villages: 

Annual production is about 10,000 tons- (including some produced in 
adjacent departments), of which half is exported. 

Fruits, Vegetables and Canning: . 

. - » , •' * /*.*’’ * 

Market gardening prospers in the sheltered, well watered valleys, be¬ 
hind Perpignan and in other places where irrigation has been under¬ 
taken. The output of the Pyrenees-Orientales includes half France’s 
peach crop, two-thirds of her apricots, some oranges, almonds, 
potatoes, lettuce, French beans, cauliflowers and globe artichokes. 
Narbonne is noted for its honey. Aveyron for its green walnuts and 
chestnuts, in which it stands second only to Corsica. Lozere includes 
the fringes of the mulberry country and its milk industry. Herault 
and the Pyrenees-Orientales together produced some 600 tons of olive 
oil annually. 

The canning of tomatoes and other fruits as well as the preparation 
of dried plums, should be mentioned in this area, although*the canning 
establishments are small in comparison with other regions in France. 

Fishing: 


Only a small amount of fishing is carried on along the coast, the 

reC /S <3d ’ ca ^ ctl P ass iflg through Sete and Port-Vendres accounts for only 
2-1/2/a of the total French catch. Some 2000 boats, mostly very small, 
are engaged in the trade and some 3300 fishermen, equipment and 
technique being still very primitive. The principal catch is of 
sardines and anchovies, which are canned and in part exported. Trout 

fisnmg is available in most of the mountain streams from the Cevennes 
to the Pyrenees. 


Food Consumption: 

The peace time diet was markedly Mediterranean in character. Meat and 

0U Wlth ldberal flaTOri “S of garlic, onions and 
H 1 " an< vegetables (especially aubergines and globe arti- 

okes), fish, snails, macaroni and beans featured prominently, con- 
sumption of potatoes and dairy produce was below the average. The 

“-0° nal Value ° f the diet com P ared favorably with that of other 

both urhan 10 rs f^ted the relatively high standard of living of 
both urban and rural population. 









(1 ont pel" ier) 


- 127 - 

Since the war the urban centers of the region have suffered 
severe food shortages than in other French 1 07 /ns of oim ar si^ > 
cause their own agricultural hinterland could not cover tin * 

and supplies were not forthcoming regularly Jran other par s o - 
country. Thus, reports of shortages,occasionally acute, have co... 
from Montpellier, Carcassonne and Perpignan, 













































































































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